Forward
by Rend
Summary: Set Post AC, and Post DoC, can Cloud realize his feelings for Tifa and confess it to her before she makes a terrible mistake? Complete
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Final Fantasy 7 any of it's characters or references.

Here's a new story it had taken me some time, but, well, hope you enjoy.

Forward

Chapter 1: The Beginning

The afternoon rain was over, and the bar Seventh Heaven was filled with patrons, it was not over crowded but held a fair share of people. The dark-haired bar tended had just finished serving a customer and stood there behind the counter. She was dressed in short white top with a black leather one over it, with black pants that stopped just short of her knees, and a pair of black sneakers on her feet. There were many of her male patrons that were glancing over at her but she ignored them, a part of her kept wondering why she did her job, after all wasn't it not Barret who suggested they opened back up a bar, and where was he now?

Suddenly she heard the sound of a motorbike in front of the bar, immediately it was turned off and about a minute later a blond-haired blue-eyed young man walked in. He was slightly taller than the bar-hostess, he wore a sleeveless navy blue shirt that used a zipper instead of buttons with long dark jeans and dark boots, he also had a sword holster on his back despite it having no weapon.

"Welcome home Cloud," She said as he approached her.

He could see her with her welcoming smile she always had whenever he reached home.

"Hey Tifa, where are the kids?" He asked.

"Oh, they went to play with their friends they'll be back soon," She replied.

"Well when they do remind me that I have a package for them," He stated.

"A delivery for Denzel and Marlene?" Tifa asked slightly surprised.

"Yeah, it's from Barret, apparently he feels we don't spoil them enough," The young swordsman said.

Tifa giggled at Cloud's previous remark. Cloud couldn't help but smile also, he loved the kids but couldn't help feel like they were spoiling them, but nevertheless both very responsible for their age.

"I'll be upstairs, I have some supplies for the bar, I'll take them out when I'm finished," He said.

Tifa nodded and watched as he disappeared up the stairs, she sighed as he faded, a part of her was happy that he was back and that they were acting more like a family, but there was a part that longed for something more.

Night had begun to creep in and Tifa had closed the bar, both Denzel and Marlene were anxious for Cloud to retrieve the package that Barret had sent for them, and he did, he placed it on the table in which they were about to their supper.

"What is it?" The brown-haired boy asked.

Immediately the two opened the brown box and to their surprise it was filled with all typed of candy, both their eyes went wide as they saw their feast prepared for them, as they were about to take one, Tifa swooped the box off the table.

"No sweets tonight," She stated.

"But Tifa…" Marlene protested.

"No buts," Tifa replied, "Now both of you get ready for dinner."

Dinner had changed much around the bar since the Geostigma syndrome, it was no longer quiet with just Tifa and the kids, now they were filled with Marlene and Denzel bombarding Cloud with numerous questions about his day, and one of Denzel's favorites if Cloud had fought any monsters? And if he did he would ask more questions about what type and if Cloud had to use material?

Dinner had passed and everyone had gone to sleep, Tifa was left alone awake, after making sure the house was locked she prepared to retire to her room for the night, but as she did she checked on her two children and sure enough the two angels were sound asleep on their beds, then she checked in on Cloud, he to was asleep, he was probably tired from the days events because from what he said at the dinner table he had to fight a pack of Behemoths.

She watched him for several minutes sleeping peacefully, a part of her were always worried about him whenever he had to take dangerous paths to make deliveries, she was unaware of the passage of time as she stared at him through the tiny door opening, he laid on his back with his cover reaching only to his chest.

"Hey Cloud, do you love me?" She asked him.

She had done this before asked him that question while he was asleep but he was still awake and his eyes immediately opened, Tifa had immediately changed the question, but this time he continued to sleep, she wanted to muster the courage to ask him that question while he was awake but never could, she would always get weak whenever she saw him awake and smiling at her, and her mind would always become black and soon she'd forget what she wanted to ask him.

She sighed again and went to her room where she would sleep again alone.

Morning came and to Tifa's surprise she was awoken by Cloud, he was still dressed in his long black pants that he slept in. His top half was exposed showing his defined muscular chest, Tifa couldn't help but stare at him, she found him irresistible and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get the image of him out of her head.

"What are you doing in my room Cloud?" She asked.

Suddenly a memory came to his mind and sly smile formed on his lips.

"Well if you must know I was going through your underwear drawer," He stated bluntly.

Immediately her eyes flew open and she sat up, "What!" She exclaimed.

Tifa didn't notice that the blanket that was covering her fell off her top half as she sat up revealing the black bra she wore, Cloud was speechless as he couldn't help but stare at Tifa' developed bosom. Her cheeks turned red when she saw what he was staring at and immediately pulled the blanket back over her.

"What were you doing Cloud?" She demanded.

"I was just joking," He replied, "I forgot to tell you yesterday that Red, Yuffie and Vincent were coming to visit today."

With those words he immediately got up and left. He couldn't take being around her anymore, if he had stayed he would have done something he would have regretted and he had already caused Tifa enough pain and misery he won't cause more.

To Be Continued...

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First chapter kinda short i know but it was difficult coming up with a start for this story, but don't worry it's gonna get better, oh and it's gonna be longer than my last story, if you ever read On the way to a smile you'll notice many references to the novel, i plan on updating tomorrow hopefully. Oh and the rating will change when i decide to add the CloTi lemons, so there you've been warned.

Oh and you can always leave a review and tell me what you think, but only if you really want to, i'm not forcing you to.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer : I don't own Final Fantasy 7, any of it's characters or references and that includes On the Way to a Smile also.

Chapter 2: Reunion and Curiosity

Tifa was extremely happy this morning, from the preview she had gotten, it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. The first event was when Cloud had woken her up and was staring at he exposed cleavage, she should have been angry but was happy, she was happy that she could get his undivided attention and that he was looking at her with desire in his eyes, this made her feel that Cloud desired her. She began to hum as she felt the warm water of the shower fall over her skin, she passed her had through her long hair and began to daydream again. Returning to her previous train of thought, she began to have self-doubt maybe he was just after her for what her male patrons had commented her on, but she quickly brushed the thought aside and shifted to another one, this one was of her friends that were about to visit. She was happy it seemed the only time they would visit was when there was a crisis, she rarely saw them during their time of peace.

She quickly finished bathing quickly after wrapping herself in a small white towel she stepped out and into her room, as she was about to take off her towel to put on her clothes the door opened.

Cloud was once again in shock after seeing Tifa earlier this morning and now seeing her in a small towel with her long legs exposed and the way it wrapped around her waist showing off her developed bosom he was left in a trance.

"Cloud my door was locked," Tifa said somewhat annoyed and somewhat happy at the way he was looking at her, she also did very little to hide the fact that her face was turning the colour of an apple.

Interrupted in his thoughts by her statement he quickly looked away.

"Sorry I used my key, I was just wondering if you were closing the bar today or not?" He asked.

"Yeah," She replied, "And if you don't mind I would like to get changed."

"Sorry about that," He apologized.

He turned to exit but turned around one more to get a glimpse of Tifa in her towel, as he exited Tifa was sure she saw a smirk on his lips. Then it caught her Cloud wasn't shy one bit from seeing her half-dressed, he seemed happy, Tifa smiled at the thought, maybe she had a chance with him after all.

After getting dressed she descended into the bar, a smirk formed on her face as she went behind the counter.

"You can come out Yuffie, I know you're there," Tifa stated.

Yuffie emerged from behind a box.

"Aww, how did you know I was there, I thought for sure no one would know," The young ninja girl said somewhat irritated.

Tifa smiled at the girl, "You forgot about the shadow that was cast against the wall."

Yuffie' was now stunned, she turned to look at the hiding spot and sure enough with the morning sun, the shadows of objects on that side of the room was cast on the wall.

"I think you need to redo your training, aren't ninjas supposed to know how to use shadows?" Tifa asked.

"So where are the kids?" Yuffie asked as she approached the bar counter and sat on a barstool.

"They'll be up shortly," Tifa replied.

"So has anything happened between you and Cloud recently?" The smaller girl asked

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked.

"Well, you know between you two, did you two get it on yet?" She asked a little too inquisitively.

"Yuffie!" Tifa exclaimed.

"Oh come on, you mean even after everything that's happened, you two still aren't together?" Yuffie was disappointed, it was part of her reason for visiting.

"Cloud and I aren't like that," Tifa replied, "besides even though he has forgiven himself for Aerith's death I think he still misses her, it's obvious who he chose."

Yuffie noticed a change in her friend, she was now sullen and her eyes lowered, anyone who knew Tifa personally would know how she felt about Cloud, despite her best attempts to hide her emotions, it was plain and obvious to see her affections.

"You know Tifa, one main difference between you and Aerith are how you display your affections," Another voice said, "Aerith always openly displayed her affection for Cloud, and was not shy and reserved about them like you, you always hide them, why not try letting him know."

The two girls looked behind them to see a red, lion-like creature make it's way up to the counter.

"Hey how did you get in here?" Yuffie asked annoyed, "I didn't even here you enter."

"Neither did I, I didn't even notice you, till you spoke Red," Tifa commented.

"No fair, I'm the ninja, I'm supposed to be the stealthy one," Yuffie said as she frowned.

"That's cause my feet are padded," The quadruped replied, "Allows me to move without much sound."

"I wish my feet were padded," Yuffie commented, "Hey Red I always wondered about this but are you canine or feline?"

"Both," Red replied sarcastically.

"Whaaaa, both how can that be?" Yuffie asked.

Red ignored Yuffie and addressed Tifa again.

"You should let him know how you feel, you can't expect to let him know how you feel if you never tell him." Red said.

Tifa was facing Red again, "For the last time Cloud and I are just friends," Tifa said stubbornly.

"Then why don't I believe you?" A new voice asked.

Everyone turned to the far end of the counter just in time to see and red-caped enigma approach the ground.

"Not you too, how can I never get this right?" Yuffie whined at the fact that Vincent was also more stealthy than her.

Just then a young brown-haired boy appeared on the platform on the staircase. He was dressed in his white pajamas and looked down at the woman he called mother.

"Tifa?" The young boy asked innocently.

Tifa smiled at the child.

"You're up early," She said sweetly, "Is Marlene still asleep?"

Denzel nodded.

"Okay, go get ready, and I'll prepare breakfast for you," Tifa said.

Soon after Denzel disappeared up the steps Cloud descended, he noticed several members of Avalanche were already there.

"You're here early," The blond warrior said addressing them.

"I don't sleep much," Vincent replied.

"I wanted to get here early," Yuffie answered.

"I had nothing better to do," Red added.

Cloud shook his head and awkwardly scratched behind it. He then turned to Tifa, unlike the others she was behind the counter and they were all in front it. The two smiled at each other.

Yuffie was the one to break the silence as she made an awkward cough.

"Well I might as well do what I came here to do," The vampiric man said.

Vincent took out a sheet of paper and handed it over to Tifa, while this was happening, Cloud had gone behind the counter with Tifa. The ruby-eyed maiden reviewed the sheet of paper she was handed, she then turned to Vincent, she was slightly surprised.

"Vincent this is a…." She was cut off.

"My resume," Vincent finished.

All eyes were now focused on Vincent, but he was unfazed.

"Apparently monsters no longer magically drop gil once you defeat them," Vincent stated.

"Sure, but do you know how to be a bartender?" Tifa asked.

"Actually I was hoping to be employed in the security division," He added.

"Well I suppose so," Tifa said.

Denzel had now reappeared in the bar. Tifa walked over to him.

"Do you want something to eat?" She asked.

Denzel nodded, "Tifa what is that?" He asked pointing to Red.

"Oh that's just Red, I'm not sure what he is, but he's a friend," She said.

Denzel's face lit up as he ran out the door in a stunning display of speed leaving a dumbstruck Tifa.

"I'm just going to the garage," He said as he ran out the door.

Tifa returned to her friends, she was glad to see them again and was enjoying their conversation but hoped they won't bring back up the her and Cloud topic in front of him. She thought she had done a excellent job of hiding her emotions about how she felt about Cloud but apparently it was to no avail, she wondered if everyone knew.

About two minutes later, when Yuffie was busying telling everyone about a monster she had to kill on the way to Midgar, she quickly began to exaggerate, changing features of the monsters such as size and number heads, Cloud and Vincent completely ignored her, Red was beginning to become irritated because she was changing her story to often and Tifa was trying her best to pay attention to her companion's fiction, while all this was happening Denzel quietly entered the bar again after getting what he wanted from the garage.

Tifa noticed the boy but was unprepared for what he would do next. In one swift movement the boy had snuck up behind Red. He waited for the crimson beast to open his mouth to speak then quickly jumped onto it's back and swung a rope into it's mouth, holding both ends with both his hands.

"Giddyup!" The boy exclaimed.

At the action Red erupted, immediately going back on his hind legs, trying to throw his new passenger off, but Denzel wouldn't be so easily swayed he held on tightly. Almost instantly at Denzel's action Cloud and Tifa sprung into action fearing for Denzel's safety.

The surprisingly interesting day had passed. Almost everyone had retired for the night, Denzel was back in his bed, this time in a navy blue pajamas. After tucking Marlene in, she approached the boy and smiled at him.

"Tifa am I in trouble?" He asked.

She quickly shook her head.

"No just try not to do that again," She said sweetly. She kissed him on his forehead and tucked him into bed.

"Goodnight Denzel," She said.

Denzel closed his eyes and turned to his side, "Goodnight mom," He replied.

Tifa smiled and left the room. She decided to check on Cloud next, to her surprise, he was not asleep just sitting on his windowsill. His top half was exposed and he was only dressed in the black long pants he slept in, his head was lowered and eyes closed.

Tifa approached him slowly. He looked so peaceful sitting there she didn't want to disturb him, she loved how he looked bathed in the silver light of the moon, the way it highlighted his features, making him look so tranquil.

"Hey," she said as she approached him.

At Tifa's voice he automatically snapped out of his daze. He glanced at her, she was standing at the other end of the window one of her elbows propped on the windowsill and her beautiful ruby eyes gazing off into the clear sky ahead, there were countless stars in the sky with a large silver moon which blessed the dark landscape with its aura.

"Beautiful isn't it," Tifa commented.

Cloud remained silent, the spiky-haired swordsman kept his gaze on the young beauty before him.

Tifa felt the awkward silence forming again, then she remembered Red's words, the difference between her and Aerith were how they expressed their emotions, but she had always been shy with her emotions, she wanted to tell him, she wanted to tell him so badly and just fall into his arms, she remembered the last time she decided to tell him it was during their date on the Gondola but she didn't finish, she just didn't know how.

"Umm…Cloud," She said still unsure of herself.

Cloud finally addressed Tifa, "Yeah."

"I really should tell you this," Tifa finally spoke, deciding it was finally time to let him know, that her feelings for him shouldn't be a mystery to him, as she prepared to voice her feelings, she moved her gaze from the starlit sky to her fingers which were intertwined with each other, "Cloud for the longest time, since you left our little home town, I've always thought of you…what I'm trying to say is that…well…Cloud I…" She was unable to finish as she cut off.

"Tifa, you shouldn't I can't give you what it is you want, I'm sorry I should have told you this sooner, but a part of me has always known, I'm sorry for leading you on but I can't return what you feel for me, I think I belong with Aerith" Cloud said sincerely.

He shifted his gaze from Tifa to captivating night sky, the silence that followed Cloud's confession was deafening, Tifa silently took her exit, tears already forming against her will, using all her strength from every fiber of her existence she made it to her room, once she closed the door, she collapsed on he knees, tears forming wet streams on her face, she didn't have the strength to fight it back, she couldn't even walk to her bed, she had to crawl, once atop, her sobs became muffled in her sheets, continuing to make the sounds of a wounded animal she cried herself to sleep.

To Be Continued...

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I know i was supposed to update sooner, but never got around to it, on another unrelated note i finally saw the english version of Advent Children, it was pretty good. As for this story well, all i can say is poor Tifa, but don't worry it's a CloTi so brighter days are coming. 

Please feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think, but only if you really want to.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything pertaining or remotely pertaining to Final Fantasy 7

Please enjoy

Chapter 3: Crumbling

The rain hadn't stopped falling, it began a little past midnight and hadn't stopped since. Tifa hadn't changed into her pajamas, she had slept in the same clothes she wore the day earlier, she hadn't known when the rain had started to fall, perhaps if was as soon a she crawled onto her bed, the only sounds she heard in the night were the sounds of her own sobs and wails and she could not prevent nor fight the tears from coming, her heart was now damaged beyond repair, it had been splintered into to many countless pieces, incapable of ever being re-connected. She laid there on her bed, she was awake for about ten minutes, her white cover only reached up to her waist, she glanced over at her bedside clock it was saying seven o clock. Despite being able to move and be aware of her surroundings, the night's events kept repeating in her minds, or more specifically the words the man she loved said. After she had heard them she didn't know how she found her way to her bed, her sheets became drenched with the moisture of her tears, she cried until no more tears would come, till they glands that produced the tears were swollen and dry, her beautiful ruby eyes were bloodshot, her eyelids were swollen, she felt completely drained despite her night's rest, she didn't want to get up, she didn't know what the emotion she was experiencing was called, it was to mixed up with anger, hate, sadness, she just wanted to lay in her bed and listen to the heavy rain pour down on the earth below, but the slight pleasure of listening to the rain would also bring discomfort for it would mean that Cloud would stay home as he always did whenever it rained.

Mustering enough strength she finally sat up, the room wasn't very bright, but she would manage, she shifted her position to place her feet on the floor, she was unaware that her shoes were off, she had no recollection of removing them before she went to sleep but apparently she had as she stared at her ten toes, five on each foot. As she stood erect she lost balance for a bit and stuttered forward but soon reclaimed it. The dark-haired maiden made her way to her bathroom door, as she approached it she didn't open the wooden door, she just placed her head on it, she didn't know what to do. How do you live with the person you love that doesn't love you back, that knows you love them but is in love with someone else and that both persons are aware of it? It was the question that plagued Tifa's mind. How was she going to live with Cloud now? Was he going to leave? Would tings become awkward between them? Would they pretend it never happened?

Tifa opened the shower and found her way to the shower, maybe a cold shower was what she needed, she emerged from her bathroom half an hour later. She then opened her wardrobe to decide what to wear, she didn't want to wear her usual barmaid outfit. Finally she decided upon a sleeveless white turtle neck top and a white skirt that reached a little past her knees, she decided against wearing her standard shoes and put on a pair of brown sandals, she didn't wear her earrings or ring on her finger, finally she stepped out of her room, the children would be waking up soon and she needed to prepare breakfast.

She descended the stairs and into the bar area, she went behind the counter and to the stove which she lit.

Cloud was the first person to come down, he smelt the aroma of breakfast, and felt slightly hungry, after changing into his usual attire he stood on the stairs as he saw Tifa preparing breakfast. The first thing he noticed was the change in her outfit, she was never one to be concerned with her appearance, well probably because she would look great in anything. The blond-haired warrior considered what he should do, after what he told her the previous night, he wondered if it would change anything between them, he didn't want to break her heart, he just couldn't return what she felt for him, it didn't mean he didn't care for her, he did, she was his closest and best friend, the one person who had always stood beside him, who would never leave him, if he was missing she would go in search of him, she would always welcome him and tell him he had a home with her, but now he wondered if it would change. Would he no longer be welcome by her, to no longer be a part of her family? He didn't want to think of it, he was a part of this family and he wanted it to stay that way.

He descended the remaining stairs and into the bar area. Tifa heard the footsteps and secretly prayed that it would be either Denzel or Marlene not her blue-eyed companion, but she could hear the heavy footsteps as it got closer, she was facing the stove, still preparing breakfast so she didn't know who it was. But she knew, the footsteps were too heavy to belong to a child and her companions had stayed the night at an Inn so it could only be one person. She heard the echoing sound fade, finally she heard a voice.

"Hey," Cloud said greeting her.

The sound of his voice made Tifa freeze, she felt as if her spine was frozen solid and her joins immovable, she didn't want to face him, the only reason she had gotten out of bed was for the children, if it was up to her she would have continued sleeping not leaving her room but that would have been to selfish of her. Eventually after a few seconds she turned around to face him, putting on a face she only uses to greet customers whenever she's in a bad mood, trying to hide her emotions.

"What would you like for breakfast?" She asked.

"Well what are you making?" Cloud asked back.

Cloud noticed she never once looked at him, her gaze was on the counter before him, he himself was sitting on a barstool in front the counter.

"Just a normal breakfast," She replied and returned to the pan on the oven.

Just then two children appeared on the staircase, a boy and a girl at the same height, still dressed in their pajamas, the boy had a plain white one but the girl's one was white and littered with small pink butterflies.

"Tifa, I'm hungry," The boy said and then yawned.

Tifa smiled her genuine smile and walked over to him, whenever she looked at the two children she would feel at peace even now they helped calm the pain inside her but only a little.

"Tifa, is something wrong?" The girl asked noticing a change in Tifa not just her appearance.

Tifa nodded her head, "Why don't you two go freshen up, and I'll have breakfast ready when you get down, plus if the rain eases up later we can all go out for ice-cream," Tifa said somewhat cheerfully.

Both children grew enthusiastic at her guardian's statement and scrambled up the stairs, Tifa smiled at her two angels, she then giggled as she remembers the previous day's events or more specifically she remembered Denzel's rodeo outing with Red.

Cloud had noticed Marlene's statements, he didn't have to guess to know what wrong, he knew he had to speak with her, so leaving his seat he approached her from behind, He gracefully placed on hand on her shoulder, immediately Tifa nudged her shoulder free of his touch.

"Don't touch me!" She spat out somewhat silent yet aggressive.

Cloud was stunned by her display this wasn't the Tifa he remembered, the Tifa that was always cheerful and rarely got angry. Tifa made her way back and finished cooking, she then took a plate and put the pancakes she had prepared on them. She then placed it on the counter along with the syrup and then a glass a juice, she turned to acknowledge Cloud who had since returned to his seat, she had placed the meal right before him, indicating that it was for him, as she placed the glass she prepared to remove her hand but as she did, Cloud's own hand captured in a soft embrace, Tifa immediately withdrew it again.

"I said don't touch me!" She snapped at him again.

"Tifa why are you being so aggressive?" Cloud asked.

All the while Tifa had never stared into Cloud's eyes, she deliberately avoided them, she knew if she looked into them she would just end up breaking down like she did the night before.

"I'm not aggressive, why are you being so polite?" She asked.

"Is this about last night?" Cloud asked back.

The rain was still pouring heavily, the sky still a dark gray, it showed no signs of letting up soon and from the way it appeared it seemed that it would continue for the whole day. Tifa didn't reply, she just ignored him and turned her back to him, that was all the signal Cloud needed to determine what it was about. He lowered his head and prepared to speak.

"Tifa I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you,' He said sincerely.

"I know," Tifa replied trying to act calm and accept his apology, "I sorry for they way I acted, I shouldn't, maybe you can come with us when go out later."

To Be Continued...

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Well, i centainly didn't expect all the hate for Cloud, well maybe I did that's why i put the whole Denzel and Red scene but apparently didn't cut it. Well anyway hope you enjoy this new chapter, let me know what you think. Please forgive any spelling or grammar errors I may have in this chapter.

Till next time...


	4. Chapter 4

I said it before and I'll say it again, I don't own Final Fantasy 7 any of It's characters and references.

Chapter 4: With Both Eyes

The sky was still overcast, the dark grey clouds stood ready to release it's downpour again on the earth below. The rain had eased up for about half an hour now, but the atmosphere was still dreary and cold, there were hardly any people on the street, all were inside as they knew another heavy shower was imminent but regardless all the business places were still open, puddles of water formed wherever they could, but would soon wash away. Despite protests from the adults, the two children had coaxed them into going to the new ice-cream parlor in Edge.

Tifa had remained in her new attire, Denzel, Marlene and Cloud were all dressed in their usual outfits. Marlene sat beside Tifa on the long leather seat, opposite sat Cloud and Denzel, with a rectangular table between them. The two children despite the cold weather were enjoying their ice-cream. They had both ordered chocolate on a cone not to Tifa's surprise, Tifa herself had also ordered one but took it in a small cup, Cloud didn't order anything he only accompanied the family. She unconsciously played with the ice-cream using a spoon. Her gaze was to the darkened sky outside the ice-cream parlor, she sat at the window, her mind trying to find peace in the angry sky, she was trying her best to act as if nothing was wrong, she knew Marlene had a sixth sense for detecting tension and uneasiness in adults. She turned to glance at the girl sitting beside her, she was busy with her ice-cream while trying to hold a conversation with Denzel at the same time, risking a chance she looked across from her, Cloud had his eyes closed and arms folded across his chest as he sat back on the seat.

Tifa sighed, she was being selfish again and she knew it, she had wanted his affection and she still did, if only he could feel for her what she felt for him, but she knew now without a doubt that his heart belonged to someone else.

She took up some of the ice-cream in the spoon and brought it to her lips, she loved the taste, savoring it before devouring it.

"What do you think Tifa?" Marlene asked.

The sound of the girl's voice broke Tifa from her trance.

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie, what were you saying?" Tifa asked.

"We want to know if you and Cloud plan on having any babies soon." Denzel asked from across the table.

Tifa's eyes shot open wide at Denzel's statement. Cloud also shot up from his fake sleep and nearly fell forward, but quickly regained his composure, the two adults eyed the young brown-haired boy with somewhat puzzled and shocked expression.

"Denzel!" She said raising her voice.

"Well I mean, do you plan on adding our family?" Denzel asked.

"Denzel you know where babies come from?" Cloud asked.

Denzel nodded his head, "Of course I do," He replied.

Regardless to say this put both Cloud and Tifa in a very awkward situation, there was a short silence but soon Tifa spoke up.

"Well you remember Vincent don't you?" Tifa asked to which the young boy nodded, "Well he'll be spending some more time at the bar now, so just try to think of him as your big brother okay," Tifa said as she smiled.

Cloud was relieved that Tifa had answered the question, he didn't know what to say or how to answer the question, he didn't want to tell the children that he wasn't in love with Tifa.

The four made their way into the small truck they had come in and soon drove back home. As expected a heavy downpour soon came, but they were safe within the confines of the vehicle, the small truck made it's way through the empty streets and the bombardment to raindrops with ease Denzel and Marlene had fallen asleep during the drive home, Cloud was behind the wheel, when they had almost arrived, he glanced over at Tifa, she was in between both Denzel and Marlene, she had one arm around each of them as they rested against her.

'She'd make a great mother,'He though to himself.

Finally they arrived back home, the children had awoke only for a brief moment only to get into their beds, it was late evening but the weather seemed fit for sleeping. Tifa had changed back into her usual attire, somehow changing her clothes to try to drive away her gloom by using brighter more appealing clothes only made her feel more sad. She looked out at her window and up to the stars, the words Cloud had told her were etched there and would remain there forever until the day her existence was no more, not just her life but her soul, as long as there was a part of her she would feel the pain, so until she faded into the nothingness from which all things come the torture would be hers alone to bear. Every time she replayed those words that Cloud spoke to her, the broken fragments that were once joined together as one and called her heart would break even further, but she had developed a way of hiding her emotions whenever around company, but then again keeping her emotions to herself was something she was accustomed to. In truth she envied the dead flower girl, Aerith was like an older sister to Tifa, the older sister who had everything Tifa would ever want, they both lived sad lives, having lost both their parents but Aerith was always happy and optimistic, Tifa wished she could be happy like Aerith despite having all the awful things happen to her, but most importantly Aerith had the one thing Tifa wanted above all else, she had Cloud's affection.

The rain had eased up again but the dark clouds remained there as if feeding of Tifa's emotions, she sighed, she was not going to force herself onto the man she loved, for she knew that he to was also suffering probably almost as much as she was, not because of the guilt of letting the woman he loved die but the pain of living without her. Aerith was now gone, gone back to the lifestream and she had met her first love there once again but Cloud lived on, never again will he see her, touch her or speak to her.

"If only," She whispered softly as she lowered her head.

"If only what?" A voice asked from behind her.

Tifa instantly turned around in one swift movement. She though she was alone but there in the doorway stood a certain blond-haired swordsman.

"C-Cloud," She stammered.

Cloud half-smiled at her as he always did and walked over to her.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked.

"Nothing important" The dark-haired maiden replied.

"Oh I thought it was about…" Cloud didn't get a chance to finish.

"What Denzel said earlier?" Tifa asked.

"Tifa, I care about you a lot but…I can't," He said as he lowered his head.

The ruby-eyed girl turned away from him, she couldn't face him not when it came to this subject, she stared back up at the overcast sky, the darkness was beginning to win over the light.

"Tifa I don't love you," Cloud said answering the question she had asked him twice when he was asleep.

"I know," She replied in a very sad and quiet voice.

Tears formed on the corners of her eyes, she tried to fight them back, despite knowing it was a hopeless battle, but she wouldn't, she won't give him the satisfaction of seeing her breakdown in front of her, once more her feelings of anger began to develop, she clenched her fists tightly and gritted her teeth, she wasn't facing him so he couldn't see her pain, then something happened she didn't expect, she felt two hands wrap themselves around her and a piece of warm skin on the flesh of her neck. Instantly her anger faded but before she could speak, Cloud spoke first.

"Please don't hate me Tifa, but like I said before, I cannot return what you feel for me," Cloud spoke as he rubbed his forehead against the back of Tifa's neck.

"I know," Tifa replied solemly, "And I won't force you."

"Tifa," Cloud said somewhat surprised by her last statement.

"You love Aerith, I can't force you to love me, that won't be true love, the love I want you to feel for me, but I've been selfish I thought that I was the only one in pain, that I was the only one suffering then I thought about you and what you were going through, the woman you love is gone and yet here you are, you live without her despite wanting to be with her you continue to live on." The sad maiden stated.

"Thank you, Tifa, thank you for understanding, and well," Cloud's grip on her tightened, "I don't want to leave, I like staying here with you and our family, I cherish it Tifa, our family is the most important thing to me, so please don't force me to leave," Cloud pleaded, "You're my best friend also and I care for you, I like things the way they are please let me stay."

"Cloud, this is your home also, you helped create this place, you are the one that brought Denzel to us, you will always have a place here," Tifa said, "And I also like things the way they are with our family, so please don't leave again."

Tifa turned around, she gazed up at him and he gazed down at her, she was no longer angry but smiling up at him, both of them were in each other's embrace, her ruby eyes staring up into his azure ones, the blond-haired warrior was smiling down at his raven-haired companion, not the half smile he usually used but a genuine smile.

"Thank you for everything Tifa…for being so…perfect," Cloud said.

Fin?... Like Hell...To Be Continued...

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Well this chapter was supposed to be up sooner but i've been very busy, seriously but well this story has some ways to go, and i know you're all wondering if this is supposed to be Cloti, well yes it is, like i said it has some ways to go, oh and i really like Denzel also he reminds me alot of Roxas from KH2 so that's why he does all the stupid stuff he does...oh and thanks for leaving the reviews i really appreciate them, they make me smile, so if you read it and liked it or even hated it let me know, i like to get feedback.  



	5. Chapter 5

Well I'm back after my brief Cloris outing and now onward with a new chapter.

Chapter 5: Moving On

"So what do you think?" A small boy asked.

"Are you still with that ridiculous theory?" Marlene asked.

"What's so ridiculous about it?" The white capped boy asked.

"That every time it rains it's the work of the lady," Denzel replied sitting on the sidewalk.

Marlene was sitting beside him, there were two boys and a girl that stood in front of them, they sat at the alleyway close to Seventh Heaven. A while ago this alley would be filled with sick children who carried the disease, now Denzel, Marlene and their friends came here often, it was still morning a little before midday, Cloud had a few deliveries to make so he left early hoping to come back before lunch, the overhead sun could be seen as there were hardly any clouds in the sky, it was a stark contrast to the previous day where think grey clouds covered the sky, there was a gentle breeze in the atmosphere that kept blowing it's wasn't strong enough to hit their clothes against their skin but was enough to tousle their hair.

"I think that's the dumbest idea I ever heard," The girl with pigtails replied.

"Come on if you guys think about it, it makes a lot of sense," The same boy kept protesting.

"You know it rained before we were cured when we still had the disease and it never cured us," A larger boy said but he was still as tall as the rest.

Finally the capped boy sighed in defeat, "Anyway I'm hungry, Hey Denzel why don't you go ask your mom if she had any leftovers she could give us."

"Yeah I'm hungry," The chubby boy added.

"You're always hungry," Marlene stated.

"Yeah you're right there," The girl with pigtails said as she giggled, all the children then burst out laughing.

Tifa had finished cleaning some of the dishes that were in the sink and began wiping down the counter, the bar wasn't full only four patrons two that were by themselves and another two by a table, they kept their conversation to themselves while the other two drank in silence. The dark-haired beauty looked to the doorway as she heard it open but it wasn't a new patron it was Denzel, Tifa smiled at him. He approached the counter and climbed onto one of the stools.

"Where's Marlene?" Tifa asked, "It's unusual for you to be without her."

"She's outside with the other guys," Denzel replied, "Hey Tifa do you have any extra food?" He asked.

"What's the matter are you hungry?" She asked innocently as she placed her elbows on the counter and leaned forward to look at him so that now they were at both the same eye level.

Denzel didn't respond. He only tried to put on one of his innocent faces as he looked at her, Tifa only smiled back, "So your friends are hungry also huh?" She asked, "Well tell them to come in and I'll prepare a fresh meal for all of you, I'm already preparing to serve lunch for some of the customers."

The boy's face lit up when he heard his guardian's statement and immediately climbed down and ran back outside, Tifa smiled once again as she saw him leave.

"Cute Kid," An icy voice said from behind the young maiden.

Tifa however wasn't surprised by the voice she knew who it belonged to, she turned around to see a man dressed in black and with a red cape standing behind her.

"Yeah he is," Tifa said smiling at him.

Soon the five children quietly and cautiously walked into the bar however Denzel and Marlene wasn't very shy at all seeing as this was the place that they lived, they immediately went up to the counter and each climbed onto their separate stools, the three other children followed. As soon as they were all seated Tifa came and placed a plate filled with food before each of them, they children all stared with wide eyes and drooling moths at the food that was on their plates.

"Now eat up and don't hesitate to ask for more," She said smiling at the children "Now what do you want to drink?" She asked.

Marlene had recommended a type of juice from the menu and they all agreed to it, soon Tifa was off to get it for the children. Several more customers came in for lunch so Marlene said she'll get the juice while Tifa went to tend to her customers. Vincent lay silently in a corner hidden in the shadows, his eyes was fixed only on one thing and that was the ruby-eyed maiden who was serving as the bar-hostess. He had seen the way she interacted with the children and her customers, with such love and compassion, every time he saw her move, it was like watching art, her movements were graceful, he would never admit it to himself but the only reason he was here was so he could be closer to her. He wasn't just attracted to her because of physical beauty but of who she was, she had captured his attention from the first moments he saw her but quickly dismissed his feels because of the way he saw her looking at Cloud and because he thought that he was in love with someone else. However as innocent and attractive as she was he could somehow sense a deep sorrow from within her, Tifa had always been one to mask her emotions but somehow this time she wasn't doing the excellent job she always did, normally only her close friends would be able to figure out if something was wrong but only if they really studied her, now, even her patrons could somehow feel her sorrow.

He was soon interrupted from his train of thought when the door opened again but instead of a new customer Vincent saw his rival, well as far as Tifa's heart was concerned. The blond-haired swordsman walked into the bar and up to the children sitting behind the counter, instantly as Denzel and Marlene saw him they jumped onto him and he hugged them in return, then Vincent saw the way Tifa was looking at him, with the eyes of desire, happiness and love, secretly it was the same way he wanted her to look at him but he brushed aside the thought, he already had a women he loved or so he forced himself to keep believing, but he didn't know if she was alive or dead, plus he had to many ghosts from his past and he didn't want to burden her with them, so for now he'll just settle with merely being her friend and being in her presence.

Tifa approached Cloud, he released the children and looked at her, the two children had finished eating along with their friends and now left the bar with their juice packs in hand.

"Are you hungry?" Tifa asked him as she went behind the counter and Cloud followed.

"Just give me what the children were eating," Cloud said, Tifa smiled at him and went to prepare the food.

Cloud watched her attentively, the way she buried herself in her work, he was completely unaware the vampiric man was also in the room, he could see her still fighting against her heart and putting on a mask for the world to see.

"Tifa, are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine," She replied as she turned around to face him now holding a plate of food in her hand, she placed it on and empty place and proceeded to take the dirty dishes the children had left behind and place them into the sink.

"Tifa, you're lying, you're not okay," Cloud replied after observing her.

She turned to him, her eyes was sad, he was half expecting it to be filled with anger, "I can't be angry at you Cloud, but how am I supposed to feel the only man I ever loved loves someone else," She said.

Cloud lowered his head not wanting to look at her, "Tifa if there's something I can do to take the pain away I would," He said finally looking up at her once again his eyes looking at her desperately.

Tifa placed her arms around him and embraced him, feeling her warm skin against his felt shockwaves through his flesh, before he knew it he was also holding her tightly against him, "Just stay with me, and let's take care of our family together," She stated.

Cloud smiled, "Of course Tifa and thank you for giving me another chance."

Tifa nodded as best she could while being held protectively against him, she smiled at the thought at least she would have him for a bit.

Little did Cloud know that aside from Tifa there was another pair of red eyes in the room, and those eyes weren't filled with love or passion or consideration but the complete opposite, those eyes were glaring at him and were filled with murderous intent.

_1 Year Later_

It had been a few months since the uprising from the Deep Ground Soldiers but it had been taken care of and Vincent had defeated Omega Weapon. He had since returned to working at Seventh Heaven but now he was different and everyone could see it, finally coming to terms with his past and letting go of a pathetic excuse for love, he was finally able to move on with his life.

He had walked into the Seventh Heaven bar. Tifa smiled when he entered, the bar was empty seeing as Tifa had decided to take the day off. Denzel and Marlene were off playing with their friends again and Cloud had left to make a delivery. It was a little past midday, and the sun shone with all it's glory, the rays of sunlight entered the bar from the door and windows and brightened the room, a smile formed on his lips as he approached the woman. She had finished washing all the dishes and walked out from behind the counter. The distance between the two closed, both held a smile on their lips when they were close enough, Vincent wrapped his hands around her waist, Tifa responded by wrapping hers' around his neck. His head lowered and she moved upward a bit, both pairs of eyes closed as both pairs of lips locked together into a tender yet passionate kiss.

Outside the bar the sound of an engine died as Cloud brought his motorbike to a halt, He descended the vehicle and made his way to the front steps of the bar, as he reached the transparent door he looked through, what he saw made his heart stop, all the blood froze in veins, it was the last thing he had ever expected to see.

To Be Continued…

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Ah somehow i bet the CloTi supporters are gonna hate this chapter, don't worry explinations coming soon, well now you know why Vincent joined the bar, what's going to happen next? well...i don't want to sell it out, like i stated at the beginning of this chapter I was falling into the Cloris bandwagon but don't worry I've now become a dedicated CloudxTifa supporter again, i had a temporary solution with someone trying to assault me, but now after playing the game(yet again) and watching the movie(japanese and english again, despite i prefer the japanese version, i like thier voices better) and watching last order(again) i can say without a doubt that i will never waver again. 

So Till Next Time...


	6. Chapter 6

I got quite the response for my last chapter, this one was supposed to be up sooner but I has the worse case of writer's block but I got over it so here's chapter six enjoy.

Chapter 6: Trapped Emotions

It was as if time had paused, Cloud lay frozen, his eyes would not blink, his feet would not move, his hands would not make their way to the door handle, how he had wished he could shut his eyes or turn away from what he was seeing, but no matter how hard he tried to get his body to move it would not, they were no longer responding to his brain signals but were frozen stiff, however he it was still sensitive as he felt his hair began to move and clothes lightly brush against his skin, there was a soft wind that was blowing against him towards the bar as if trying to help him to move to reach the door handle but had no effect. He felt his stomach cringe when he saw Vincent tighten his grip around her waist and she had her hands wrapped around his neck, she also tightened her grip as they deepened the kiss.

Cloud was tempted to tear down the door and rip him off of Tifa then slice him into tiny pieces, but soon he came to his senses, his limbs could once again receive the signals from his brain, since their eyes were closed, they didn't seem him through the transparent glass door, slowly he turned from the bar and faced Fenrir, he needed some time to think, leaving the front porch and climbing down the three steps in front Seventh Heaven he mounted his vehicle once more, making sure he was quiet he started the vehicle as quietly as possible and drove off.

Meanwhile inside the empty bar, both Vincent and Tifa were forced to break their passionate kiss. Tifa slowly backed away from him.

"You're a little more demanding today," He said somewhat tauntingly.

"It's just that I missed you," He replied before there was a slight curl on his lips.

"You saw me yesterday, it wasn't that long," The ruby-eyed maiden replied.

"It was for me," He finished.

Tifa smiled at him and went back behind the counter.

"What are you doing behind the counter when you haven't opened the bar today?" The dark-haired man asked.

"Oh I'm just preparing lunch for Denzel, Marlene and their friends, they'll be here shortly that's why I closed the bar today, I don't think my customers would like a bunch of ten year old running around like they own the place," Tifa explained.

"I understand maybe I should leave also," Vincent said taking a seat on a stool before the counter.

"And leave me all alone with all the children, I don't think so!" Tifa stated, "Besides you'll still get paid."

"I though Cloud was supposed to be back by now," Vincent observed.

"He was, but knowing him something probably caught his attention, he's like a small child, you know trying to act like an adult," The dark-haired female stated.

After her statement the red-caped man grew a bit uneasy about his next question, "Tifa, have you told him about us yet?" He asked.

Tifa immediately turned to face him, he turned away when she answered, "I haven't found the time yet, but I'll tell him soon," She said turning back to the stove.

Vincent got up from his seat and moved behind the counter until he was directly behind her, Tifa felt his warm hands wrap themselves around her, he wasn't wearing his golden gauntlet today she noted, she felt his lips by her ear then he spoke.

"I don't want you to feel as if I'm forcing you into this Tifa, I admire you a lot," He said.

Tifa smiled and turned to face him, "It's alright I'll tell him, you've let go of your past and I've got to do the same to mine," She said somberly.

Vincent held her tightly, her head rested on his shoulder, he could feel the tears soaking into his suit but he made no move to stop her, she lightly caressed her hair as she wept silently on him. He continued to hold her for a few more seconds but the couple soon broke apart when they heard the door open, as they turned their eyes to the entrance they saw Denzel, Marlene together with their three previous companions and two new ones. Tifa smiled at them quickly wiping away her tears to make it look as if she was never crying.

"Tifa is lunch ready?" Marlene asked.

Tifa nodded her head, "Why don't you go get the juice packs," She told the young girl, Marlene smiled brightly and ran off, mean while Denzel and his friends proceeded to take a seat by the counter.

Tifa turned to Vincent, "I should prepare their meals," She told him.

"Tifa why don't you come out with me tonight?" Vincent asked.

Tifa looked at him surprised, "What do you mean?" She asked him.

"I mean you can call Cloud and ask him to watch the kids, while we have a night for ourselves," Vincent explained.

"I'm not sure Cloud would agree with that, he's not good at supervising," Tifa countered.

"Tifa you both raise the kids, don't you think that he should share some responsibility?" Vincent asked rhetorically, "If he says no then make him understand."

Tifa smiled at him, "Okay I'll tell him, and where do you plan on taking me?" She asked.

Vincent smirked, "Just make sure you wear your best dress," He replied.

"Hey Tifa we're hungry," A young voice said.

Tifa suddenly realized she had forgotten about the children then quickly turned to acknowledge them and to serve them. She placed a plate before each of them after she finished Marlene came out with a serving tray carrying the juice boxes.

Vincent wasn't happy with what he just did, he had forced Tifa to confront Cloud and this would mean telling him and she had a date with him, he had wanted her to tell him since they first started getting romantically involved three months ago but she had never gotten the courage to, maybe a part of her still cared for him, but Vincent wasn't going to give up, during the past year that he had worked for Tifa he had completely fallen for her, he wasn't going to rush her into a relationship but he couldn't wait either and he didn't want Cloud to get in the way, at first he hadn't acted on his emotions, rather keeping them to himself but after dealing with the Deep Ground Soldiers he took his chance and to his surprise she accepted, this was probably because she was still in a fragile state and was looking for someone to comfort her, Cloud had tried and kept trying but after getting rejected by him she wanted to be comforted by someone who would love her and Vincent was just that person.

Cloud raced through the empty streets, unlike before the engine of Fenrir roared as it took off with a blaze of speed creating only a shadow to where it once was, he soon exited Edge and entered the wasteland surrounding Midgar, there weren't any monsters around for him to fight practically because he had already killed nearly all of them. There was a blanket of dust that formed behind the motorcycle as it sped through the desert. The sky overhead didn't have a single cloud and the golden sun shone down with all it's glory, with the speed at which the motorbike traveled it created a powerful wind that hit against his skin, it was days like this he loved riding, no troubles in the world, nothing in his was just an empty road before him, but unlike those times now his mind was in turmoil, after seeing both Tifa and Vincent he needed to relieve some stress.

So the bike came to a stop at an all to familiar location, it was over looking the wastelands and the city of Midgar. At the very tip of the edge of the cliff was a very large rusted sword planted into the brown earth, slowly the blue-eyed warrior approached it.

"I wish you were here to give me some advice," Cloud said, "I really need your help now."

As he spoke he spoke to the nothingness, his voice only went out into the air and his statements went without reply, still he proceeded to talk as if not expecting a response.

"It's Tifa," Cloud said, "I saw her with Vincent today, I should be bothered by it but it does.

Again there was nothing, just an empty silence.

"I remember almost one year ago Tifa tried to tell me how she felt, but I didn't give her time to finish, I told her that I could never return what she felt for me and that I think I belong with Aerith," Cloud explained.

At the end of his final comment a powerful wind picked up and blew against him hard, hitting the clothes violently against his skin and swaying his unruly hair.

"Relax, I didn't say that I loved her, because I don't," Cloud said, then the wind died down, "I mean maybe I do love her, but the love I have for her is the love the way a child loves his mother," He explained.

Before he could finish he heard his phone begin to ring, he quickly took it out and looked at the number, it belonged to the bar, he immediately answered.

"Cloud, it's Tifa," The voice said.

She didn't have to answer because he could tell it was her from the sound of her voice, he always could.

"Yeah, I'm here," He replied over the phone.

"Cloud I need you to come home early," Tifa stated.

"Is there any particular reason?" He asked.

"I have something very important to do and I need to stay with the kids," Tifa said.

This caught Cloud's attention, he knew how much Tifa liked leaving the children alone, he know how much she adored them, this 'something important' she has to do must have something to do with Vincent he speculated.

"Tifa, is anything the matter?" He asked.

"No I just need you to come home as soon as possible," She replied before hanging up.

To Be Continued…

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Next chapter Vincent and Tifa go for a night out, how will Cloud respond to this? Well that's chapter six, I'd like to thank all who read this story and all who reviewed, and if you think that the plot twist in the last chapter was the only one I still have others but they'll come later, I'll try to update faster. And remember feel free to leave a review. 

Till Next Time...


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer's been stated before, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed I see I've made fifty already, thank you everyone for reading this fic, for the time you took to read and review I present you with a really long chapter:

Chapter 7: Ruination

Cloud had left as soon as he had received Tifa's phone call, it's didn't seem desperate, so he was sure there wasn't any threat, but he still had a foreboding feeling that it wasn't good news, Fenrir sped through the barren wasteland leaving a trail of dust in it's path, soon he entered into Edge city and made his way straight for Seventh Heaven. Upon reaching the entrance to the bar, he was slightly surprised that it was closed, he had left early in the morning so he expected that Tifa would open it after he left, but apparently he was wrong. The sign on the door read CLOSED. A part of him was curious as to what Tifa would call him for, so he immediately got off his bye, put his sword on it's holster and entered into the bar. Denzel, Marlene and their friends had already left, his mako-infused eyes scanned the bar, it was empty, no customers, no children, no Vincent and no Tifa, worry began creeping into him, it was unusual for the bar to be left unattended, if Tifa had closed it, usually Vincent would be somewhere around or the children would be doing some mischief, one of his hands reached to the handle of his sword. He made his way past the empty bar and to the staircase in the corner, still ever vigilant to the slightest movement, as he ascended the stairs he could hear movement, it emanated from the room at top, at the end of the hallway, passing his room which lay halfway between the top and base of the stairs he entered into the hallway, he removed his hand from the handle, it didn't sound like a burglar but like a regular person, still wanting to make sure, he moved as silently as a cat towards and door, once he arrived he placed his hand on the brass doorknob and silently opened it.

Almost instantly as soon as movement of the door captured the attention of the room's occupant there was a deafening shriek that spilled out of the room and traveled through to the vacant bar.

"What do you think you're doing Cloud?" Tifa nearly screamed at him.

Cloud was still halfway in shock, as soon as he turned the door handle and sprung into the room, Tifa released a cry that would have shattered his ear-drums, since she was near her bead, she quickly scampered for her sheets, and brought it over her body, Cloud was still in a daze at what he saw, the mako rings around his pupils seemed to dilate even though his pupils didn't.

"Cloud get out!" Tifa ordered.

Regaining his composure almost as quickly as he entered the room he exited, he shut the door behind them, the image of Tifa, in her underwear still prevalent in his mind.

"Tifa, you said you wanted me to come home right away, is something the matter?" He asked in his usual calm voice but in his mind he was still seeing Tifa in the matching black underwear, he kept replaying the image over and over again.

A slight creek in the door opened, only enough for a small fraction of her body to be seen.

"Cloud I need you to watch the kids tonight," She stated.

The blue-eyed warrior was slightly surprised by her statement, and for several reasons, firstly it was how she said her statement, normally Tifa would ask him if she needed a favor, this she was putting it as a statement, not a request it started to bother him and secondly it was to watch both Denzel and Marlene, he knew how much she loved those children, and didn't trust them with anyone she didn't know, she also loved spending as much time as possible with them as well as tucking them into bed at night, it was also her first time making such a request, he needed an explanation.

"Is there any particular reason why?" He asked.

"I have a date with Vincent," She put coldly and immediately closed the door, "That's why I'm getting ready, "I have to leave by six, so you have to watch the children for the night."

The former Shin-ra employee didn't know how to respond, she was going on a date with another man and he was not comfortable with it.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?" He asked trying to mask his building rage.

"I don't know, I should be back some time after Denzel and Marlene's bedtime," She said, then opened the door slightly like she did earlier and looked at him before she spoke again, "Remember no later than nine o' clock."

Cloud simply nodded his head and left. Once he had left Tifa closed the door behind him, she felt like collapsing right there, her feet no longer held any strength and couldn't maintain her weight, so she fell soundlessly on the floor. As she sat there she brought her knees up to her chin, her arms hugging her legs tightly.

"Cloud I'm sorry, but I care for Vincent and he cares for me, he makes me feel special, I just need to feel like I'm loved, I'm sorry Cloud I know it's selfish of me but I must do this," She said to no-one.

Tifa's news didn't go over to well with Cloud, he didn't know why but it kept bothering him, they will be all alone, and it wasn't that he didn't trust them, they were both adults capable of make proper decisions, but would they be kissing like they were earlier, the blond-haired warrior didn't even want to entertain the thought, so he did what he always did when he was troubled, he secluded himself to his room, it was usually messy with delivery papers scattered but it didn't bother him he just lay on his bed struggling with the unfamiliar emotion within him.

It was six and the children had returned home after spending the day with their friends, Cloud also left the confines of his room while in there he had decided what he was going to do and had made two phone calls. Cloud was to caught up with preparing the children's supper he didn't even notice when Vincent entered the bar, he wore the same black suit he always wore minus, the golden gauntlet, red cape, headband and those freakish shoes he always wore, instead he wore black boots similar to what Cloud wore.

"Where's Tifa?" Vincent asked.

"She's upstairs, I'll go get her," Marlene answered before Cloud could.

Quickly she got off her stool and scampered up the stairs leaving the three males alone. There was an air of discomfort and Denzel was beginning to sense it, the silence was irritating, Cloud seeing the way the child kept shifting decided that having a conversation would help the situation.

"Where are the both of you going?" Cloud asked.

"To a restaurant a restaurant in Kalm," Vincent replied.

"Isn't that kinda dangerous?" Cloud asked.

"To travel there at night? No a safe route has been made with the combined efforts of the WRO and the reformed Shin-ra.

"I see," Cloud answered.

Before anyone could say anything else Tifa came down from the staircase, Cloud's jaw wanted to drop to the floor from what he saw, Tifa was drop-dead gorgeous, quite literally in every sense of the word. Her hair was loose like it always was, she wore a sleek black dress that stopped just short of her ankles, her back was exposed to waist, it had no straps, which made him wonder how the front was supported, it had two long slits on either side of the dress that made it's way from the base all the way up to her thighs, showing off her two slender, well sculpted legs, that was covered by the black stockings she wore, she also had on a pair of black high-heel shoes, around her neck was a necklace made of pearls. It was different from seeing her in her underwear earlier but yet so similar, Cloud could only imagine that she was wearing the same underwear he saw her in, it made his blood boil, but he did his best to hide his emotions.

Vincent was also taken back, Tifa was stunning, he knew she was beautiful, everyone that saw her knew that, the clothes she always wore despite it being for serving the bar, one could see it highlighting her dangerous curves, but this new dress she wore, that fitted her like a snake's skin made it seem like a clown suit she wore, all her features and femininity was highlighted, he didn't notice that both himself and Cloud were holding their breath.

"Shall we be going?" Tifa asked Vincent.

Snapping out of his daze Vincent went to Tifa's side and led her outside, before she left she turned and smiled at Cloud, "Don't wait up," She said before stepping out.

The blue-eyed swordsman followed them and stood in the doorway, he wanted to see the vehicle Vincent was taking Tifa in, he wasn't surprised to see it was a luxurious black sedan. His left eye twitched when he saw Vincent open the door for Tifa, she then spaced her hand in his and he led her in all the time she was smiling, Vincent then went to the other side, he got into the driver's side and drove off.

The sun had already gone down, most commercial shops were closed, the streetlights were beginning to come on and most people had already found their way home. Night was beginning to fall on Edge city. The atmosphere was cold with a light wind blowing, there weren't any clouds in the sky and it looked to be one of the peaceful nights that the people longed for.

About thirty minutes after Tifa and Vincent left, a brown van pulled up in front of Seventh Heaven and two people came out, one was a large bulky man the other a small slender girl.

Cloud and the children were finishing having their dinner, Cloud sat behind the counter while the two of them sat in front, usually Tifa would make the four of them sit at the dining table behind the bar but since it was the three of them Cloud decided that it was okay for them to stay in the bar, plus the children also preferred to eat in the bar. Cloud saw the door open and heard the bell that rung each time the door was opened.

"Yo spiky I'm here you can relax no Barret take care of everythin'," The large black man said.

"And so is the world's number 1 materia hunter Yuffie, with us by your side this mission will be a snap," The childish girl said enthusiastically.

"Will you two calm down, Barret I need you to watch the children, I'm gonna be gone for the night I need Yuffie to come with me," Cloud said.

"Daddy!" Marlene almost shouted as she got off the stool and jumped in Barret's arms, he responded by giving her a tight bear-hug, "Oww, Daddy I need to breathe."

Barret released his daughter, "Well what's spiky been feeding you, I hope you've been a good girl."

"Yes I have, I've been a very good girl," Marlene replied shaking her head up and down.

Barret turned back to Cloud, "So I get babysitting duty, not that I mind, but where are you two going?" the large man asked.

"We just need to check a place out, it's nothing serious, also I'd like if you keep this a secret from Tifa," Cloud said.

"I understand you don't want to worry her, don't worry I won't," Barret said.

"Alright finally, Yuffie get's to let loose again, this mission will be a snap," The upbeat hyperactive ninja said again.

Cloud and Yuffie got on Fenrir and drove off after saying their farewell's to Barret and the children.

"Alright, what do you kid's wanna do now?" Barret asked.

Marlene jumped up, "Let's go for ice-cream!"

"That sounds nice but will anywhere be open now?" He asked her.

"Yeah by the park, there's a place there that's stayed open till midnight," Denzel answered.

"Alright, Let's go then," Barret finished ushering the children outside.

Cloud and Yuffie sped through the empty streets of Edge, Cloud wanted to make up for lost time and wanted to reach there on time, he had a fairly good guess where the restaurant was, Yuffie was having a hard time on the motorcycle, the speed at which he was going at, made her feel unsafe.

"Cloud don't you think we're going to fast?" Yuffie questioned.

"We have to reach there before they do," Cloud answered, his eyes fixed on the road before him.

"Who?" Yuffie asked.

"Tifa and Vincent," Cloud answered.

Yuffie was lost in though for a moment, Tifa wasn't at the bar when she got there, and Cloud had left Barret with the kids and the two of them had gone on a mission Cloud said was very important, he also said he didn't want Tifa to know but if Tifa was already at their destination with Vincent, Yuffie was getting lost so the dark-haired ninja-girl decided ask Cloud.

"Cloud where are we going?" She asked.

"To a restaurant in Kalm," He replied.

"A restaurant, why?" She asked again.

"To make sure nothing happens," Cloud answered.

Yuffie had a hard time understanding what Cloud mean it was only when they arrived, she understood what he meant. She and Cloud were hiding behind some bushes staring through binoculars at Tifa and Vincent inside a very expensive looking restaurant.

Vincent and Tifa had arrived just on time for their reservation. Tifa noticed the placed looked very classy, with a live band playing music in the center of the platform, circular tables that seemed to spiral around the center platform where the band resided. There was a white tablecloth on each table and it wasn't very crowded. The waiter brought them to secluded table with only two chairs, Vincent pulled out Tifa's chair and took her hand and lead her into the seat. After she was seated he took his which was adjacent to her's. After they were seated they both made their orders.

Cloud watched through his binoculars the strange emotion he felt building up again, they had both ordered a three-course meal, and Tifa seemed to be having a good time. Cloud began to wonder how Vincent could afford all this on the salary he makes from working at the bar, he must have been planning this all along, the moon had finally come out of hiding, it's silver rays bathed the landscape with it's tranquil majesty but did little to quell the rage inside Cloud Strife, the rage kept building and building with each time he saw Tifa giggle to a comment Vincent made. Yuffie was beginning to get bored, she didn't understand why Cloud brought her or why she was even doing this, she only sighed and continued to look through the binoculars.

Vincent looked at Tifa, she seemed to be enjoying her time, it was what he wanted also to make her forget about Cloud, hearing her laughter was like hearing an angel's choir, it was a medicine for him a medicine which made him forget all about his gruesome past, the WEAPON infused into him, the experimentation and testing he had gone through, and the betrayals he endured, all of them washed away when he heard her laugh, her presence was having a soothing effect on him, it made him calm yet at the same time filled him with strength. Vincent also ordered a bottle of champagne halfway through the meal.

Tifa didn't object to anything he did, she couldn't remember the last time she felt this free, after the Meteor incident, she didn't make any choices to the life she now lead, Barret was the one who suggested they open the bar, and Cloud agreed despite she protested, they went ahead, even the mane of the bar, they said she would name it but instead it was Marlene who chose the name, then when Barret left he left Marlene with them, then it was Cloud who brought home Denzel, she only went ahead with everything, all the decisions they made for her, so this new freedom she was experiencing she enjoyed, she enjoyed spending time with Vincent but deep down, she could feel as if there was a thorn in her heart and it was only going deeper and deeper.

After dinner Vincent paid the bill and the two of them left, they decided to take a walk instead of going home right away. They walked on the boardwalk unknown that they were being followed. Tifa's and Vincent's arms were interloped as they walked along the boardwalk. The ruby-eyed maiden was having problems walking in her high heel shoes, she was not accustomed to it and it was feeling uncomfortable.

"Hey Vincent," Tifa said, "Let's go on the beach."

Without objection they did, Tifa took off her shoes and held them on her hand, but Vincent held them for her, she walked towards the ocean with the crimson-eyed man behind her. Tifa enjoyed the cool ocean breeze, the peaceful sounds of the waves crashing, it was all surreal to her, who spent all her time at the bar.

"Vincent?" Tifa asked.

The dark brooding man turned his attention to the beauty before him.

"Is something wrong?" He asked sincerely.

"Why me, of all the people on Gaia, why did you choose me?" she asked.

What seemed like a smile formed on his lips. Tifa was still facing the ocean and didn't turn back, "It's just like you said, of all the people on Gaia, you are not like them," He replied.

"I don't understand," She replied.

Suddenly she felt warm arms wrap themselves around her waist, she leant back on him for support while he rested his head on her shoulder, "You make me want to be a better person, when I'm with you nothing else matters, all that matters is that I'm with you, you make me forget all the trials and tribulations I've endured and give me hope in humanity and the future," Vincent explained.

Tifa turned around to face him, she looked up at him, despite have long bangs coming down in front his eyes, she could see his face clearly, and she could see he was smiling, it was odd because in all the times she saw him, she never saw him smile, he placed his hand beneath her chin and lifted it up towards him, he then lowered his face onto hers, both pairs of lips joined together in a passionate kiss, Vincent's lips soon began to suck to Tifa's one, he could still taste the champagne that they had on hers, his arms went around her waist and he pulled her closer to him, her hands went around his neck and she pushed herself up as the kiss deepened.

Meanwhile two figures were looking out through their binoculars on a pier, Cloud lowered his, he felt as if he had the wind knocked out of him, as if he had been defeated.

"Cone on Yuffie, let's go," Cloud said, his tone was different, as if he was defeated by Sephiroth.

To Be Continued...

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Well there's chapter 7, can you feel the Clotiness yet? no? oh that's sad. When will Cloud realize his feeling for Tifa and will Tifa accept them or will it be to late? stay tuned to find out. 

Oh yeah again thanks for all the input, the more you review, the more you make me want to write so keep reviewing and I'll keep writing, because sometimes I really need some motivation.

Till Next Time...


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7, any of it's characters or references.

Here's chapter 8 enjoy.

Chapter 8: Condemnation

Alone and walking silently, a tall, dark-haired individual, made his way through the endless white, on all sides, stretching on as far as the eye can see, it was even impossible to separate the ground from the sky, as below the endless shining light continued on, yet despite this, the all warrior continued walking. He was dressed in an outfit similar to Cloud's except his t-shirt didn't have a zipper on it, and had elbow guards on both sides, he also appeared to be lacking the wolf motif that Cloud also wore.

The male continued walking forward unfazed that there was nothing on the horizon, his mako-filled eyes never swaying, he was tall, taller that Cloud with a solid build and his slightly long raven hair falling behind him.

As he progressed ahead in the emptiness, a singular landmark became visible on the horizon, it was a small green dot, it seems so far off in the distance at least a day's walk, but as he stepped forward he found himself standing in a field of yellow and white flowers, the flowers' weren't very tall, barely reaching to the top of his boots. And all there were, was flowers, no grass, no shrubs, no weeds only those flowers that filled the area, the green beneath the flower giving the area its dominant colour.

His blue eyes were fixed on the maiden in the center of the field, he appeared to be somewhat praying while standing, her palm of her hands were together with her fingers intertwined, her eyes were closed and she stood upright, her pink gown reaching down to her ankles, her light brown hair, falling behind her and to the sides of her face. Around her was a haze of green light, like a gaseous substance but appeared to be a mixture of solid, liquid and gas.

The male figure made his way over to her careful not to step on any of the flowers, he stood some distance away from her, being careful not to touch the green glowing substance. Suddenly almost instantly the strange material disappeared and the girl fell forward, but as quickly as her body lost it's strength and no longer had any support to hold itself, the dark haired male leaped forward towards her.

"Aerith!" He almost yelled catching her in his arms.

Aerith's eyed were still closes, her breathing was shallow, slowly she opened her eyed, to find a blue pair looking down at her, the lower half of her body was resting on the flowerbed while her top half was embraced by her kneeling blue-eyed companion.

"Zack," She said her voice filled with compassion.

"Hey are you okay, you've got to stop doing that," Zack said concerned.

Aerith finally regained her compose and stood up leaving his embrace, Zack still sat on the ground, looking up at her who was looking down at him, her green eyes gentle and caring.

"Zack I must do this," Aerith said.

"I know, ever since that incident with Omega WEAPON," Zack replied, "But it puts you in so much pain."

"Zack, I'm not in pain, it just exhaust's me, it's impossible to feel pain when you're already dead," She commented, the latter part of her statement teasing him.

"I guess you got a point there," He finished.

"So?" She began.

"So what?" Zack asked a little confused from her statement.

"Where were you?" She asked.

Zack held his breath, he hated lying to her but knew she'd be angry if he told her the truth, "Nowhere in particular, I just went for a stroll" He answered looking up at her.

"I don't believe you," She said innocently teasing him.

Realizing she figured him out, he decided to confess, "Just went to see what was happening in the land of the living," He explained.

"And did you interfere?" Aerith asked again.

"Nope, not one bit," He replied.

Aerith sighed then knelt before him and leant forward, both her hands gently cupping his cheeks, she leant forward till her face was centimeters away from his. Her pink lips a breath away from his, he felt her warm breath on his lips as she spoke to him, he was beginning to loose control, it always happened to him and soon she'd have him spilling his entire life story to him.

"Zack, you know that when it comes to you, I always get what I want," She said seductively.

Vincent awoke to a peaceful morning, he was in the same room of the inn he stayed in for the past year, though the room held no surprises for him, he never got tired of it knowing whom he would be seeing later, but today he wasn't so sure, his date with Tifa had gone exceptionally well, until she reached back home, then it went all downhill. He laid in his bed, the sunlight shining through the window and onto his body, spilling out onto the white sheets of the bed, he slept in his usual clothes, minus his boots, he stared up at the wooden ceiling, he wanted so desperately to call her, just to hear Tifa's voice, to see her face, but didn't want to bother her, but he missed her, all he wanted to do right now was to be in her presence. He had only just awoke and was already thinking of her, part of him wanted to move in with her but it wasn't the right time yet, he knew a part of her still longed for Cloud, and he wished he could have her full heart, but he was patient and would take his time, all he wanted to do was be with her and take away her pain but he also knew that in her heart there was a pain only she could overcome, and didn't after the night's events, she needed some time to cool off. Maybe he could call her, just to make sure she's doing alright and ask if she wanted him to come over. He sat up from his previous position, he placed both his feet on the wooden floor and looked out towards the window, his future was looking as bright as the sun's rays flowing through it, his mind soon began replaying the night's events.

_Flashback_

It was peaceful when both Tifa and Vincent arrived back at Seventh Heaven, from the outside of the bar, it was exactly as when they had left, Vincent pulled up in front of the bar, he stepped out first, then went over to Tifa's side and opened the door for her, he then extended his hand for hers, she graciously accepted placing her slender fingers into his, he then helped her out and closed the door behind her, she released their bond and stepped up the small three stairs that lead to the front porch of the bar. She was once again wearing her high heel shoes, but was anxious to get out of them, she never liked wearing them for too long as she found them painful.

She didn't go into the bar rather she walked along the wooden floor turning to the banister to the right of the doorway and looked out at the sleeping city. Vincent walked up to her, he could tell she didn't know of his presence directly behind her.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked.

Tifa turned to face him, "I'm fine Vince," She said smiling.

One of the features that first drew Vincent to Tifa was her infectious smile, it always seems to brighten up the mood and lift people's feelings, the way she smiled at people it wasn't a fake smile that occasionally put on to greet people, but a genuine smile that showed of the beauty of her heart.

The dark-haired man stepped closer to the crimson-eyed maiden, soon their lips were locked together, his hands finding themselves around her waist, hers around his neck, both their lips roamed over each other's as they both sought after a deeper pleasure.

Their moment of passion didn't last as they both heard a loud crashing noise from within the bar, instantly Tifa broke the kiss and shot through the door to see a sight she didn't expect. Denzel was on the counter, dressed in his white pajamas jumping up and down, there was also a broken glass dish on the floor.

The little boy was soon accompanied by his female accomplice who wore a similar outfit except her's had pink butterflies, they were both jumping up and down on the counter. Both children appeared to be overly active.

"You two, you said if I bought you that ice-cream you'd go to bed," A familiar voice called out.

Tifa turned to see one of her closest friends descending the staircase. The large black man stared at Tifa in shock, Cloud was supposed to be back before Tifa had arrived.

"Uhh…Tifa hey," Barret said feeling dumbstruck.

"Barret, where's Cloud?" Tifa asked surprised.

Vincent had remained silent accompanying Tifa inside and remaining hidden, he didn't know what was going on but maybe it could help him.

"Uhh…He said he was feelin' bored so he went for a ride on his bike and asked if I could watch the kids for him," Barret replied trying to make up the most plausible excuse.

"Is that so," Tifa finished.

Both men sensed something within Tifa, her tone had changed, she seemed somewhat angry, she then turned her attention to the two children, they were now off the counter and were sprinting towards her, she caught both of them, she masked her growing anger in front of the children.

"Did you two trick Barret in buying ice-cream for you?" Tifa asked.

Both children fell silent. Tifa got her answer from their response, releasing a sigh, she smiled at both of them, both children seeing her smile, smiled back at her.

"Alright time for bed you two," She said as she took them by their hands and led them up the stairs.

Again Vincent was surprised by her, even when she had a growing anger within her, it never invaded her untainted smile. Barret and Vincent remained silent and several minutes later Tifa came back down the staircase. She was serious once more, and both men could tell she was angry, her attention was fixed on the largest person within the room.

"Now tell me exactly, when did Cloud call you?" Tifa questioned her anger seeping into her tone.

"Around six thirty," Barret lied, trying to come up with a relative time.

Tifa's anger grew, it was shortly after she had left. As if on queue all three heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle engine come to a halt in front of the bar, seconds later the blond-haired swordsman walked through the open doors. Cloud found himself in a situation he didn't like, he was the center of attention, three pairs of eyes were on him, but each held a different emotion, Vincent's was conviction, Barret's was pity and Tifa's was anger.

"Strife!" Tifa said her eyes intensely focusing on him, her tone displaying her current anger.

She motioned for Barret and Vincent to leave, which they hastily did, "Unbelievable, the one time I ask you to do something, and you completely blow it off!" Tifa said angrily.

Vincent now outside could her Tifa begin reprimanding Cloud, deciding he didn't want to her Cloud get his punishment and it wasn't his place to interfere…yet he would take his leave. Barret also approached his truck, which was hidden, Yuffie was sitting in the passenger seat looking extremely bored. As soon as both men reached the driver's side of their vehicles, they saw Cloud march though the door and onto the front porch, both men hadn't heard Cloud speak back to Tifa while he was being scolded by her, he seemed to be like a child receiving his punishment, but now with him walking through the door, he seemed annoyed and angry, Tifa followed him through the door. She was still angry at him and her rage was building because they seemed to be falling on deaf ears.

"Cloud where are you going?" She demanded.

The ruby-eyed maiden was met with silence in return, he stepped out of the porch and made his way to his bike completely ignoring Tifa.

"Cloud I said come back here, I'm not finished!" She yelled at him.

And again was met by silence, Tifa fell to her knees, her black dress spilling over the porch at what happened next without even saying a word to her or without turning to face her, Cloud got onto his bike and drove off into the night.

_End of Flashback_

To Be Continued…

* * *

So I got some anti-Clotiness in this chapter, sorry but it's part of the storyline, I actually uploaded chapter 8 earlier but decided to redo it 1st then post it up, also I'm sorry about this but i don't know when my next update will be, I'm typing with one hand here because my left hand suffered an injury, i was putting up a window, and a glass fell, i tried to catch it and well my palm almost got severed, it's in one piece but was cut badly, doctor said i should regain full functionality, so i'm sorry if it will be a long time before I update, also i'm halfway done with my next chapter for DT, so even if i have to type with one hand i hope to get it up soon...

Till next Time...


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do no own Final Fantasy VII any of it's characters or references

Chapter 9 enjoy, kind shortI know.

Chapter 9: From a Friend

Slowly Cloud Strife's eyes opened to a familiar sight, it was the same room he stayed in for the past three days, after his argument with Tifa he disappeared from Edge, the room he now slept in was made of dirt and rock, he lay on a brown piece of canvas on the floor, the entrance of the cave has a wooden door, he slept against one side of the cave, on the opposite side there was a wooden window, he was dressed only in his long dark trousers, which he usually slept in. Standing up he made his way to the window, from the view below he was pretty high up, and appeared to be inside a mountain, outside appeared to be similar to the inside, the people were dressed in open clothing, there was red dirt that covered everywhere, there also weren't any houses but he saw other caves similar to the one he was in right now.

His blue eyes turned as he heard the door opening, as the door fully opened a familiar figure walked in, Cloud turned to acknowledge the feline creature.

"Sleep well?" Red XIII asked.

Cloud silently nodded.

"Well how about coming out for something to eat, it's already ten, I can't believe you sleep so late, even if it was you, I would half-expect Tifa to make sure you're up early," The red-furred beast spoke.

"Yeah, I guess so," Cloud replied.

Red made a 180 degree turn to face the exit and walked out followed by Cloud. The entire establishment seemed to be dug out from inside of a mountain, there was the same red dirt everywhere but there were also support structures inside to prevent it from caving in. Red was also the only one of his kind currently living is Cosmo Canyon, he was also the only one of his kind that Cloud had ever met in his travels.

Instead of walking down towards the main dining hall in the mountain, both him and Red were walking up a winding staircase dug out inside the mountain, they walked up continuously for a few minutes before they arrived at the top, when at the summit, there was a plain looking house with an observatory and a giant telescope looking out towards the sky.

"Where's your grandfather?" Cloud asked.

"He's at the WRO, since this is the only telescope in all of Gaia, well you know…" Red stated.

"Seems everyone is getting involved with them," Cloud said as they made their way through the house, the house itself was sparse with very little furniture if any at all, well then again Red couldn't exactly sit on a couch or sofa.

Eventually they entered into a room with a small circular table resting on a rug of behemoth skin, there were also two large windows against the walls, these windows were different, they seemed cut out of the house and was a tall as the wall and very wide, there were one on the east and south wall, the northern wall was plain and Cloud and Red entered from a large arch-way on the left side of the room. On the table there were various types of vegetables and fruits, ironically Cloud and the rest of Avalanche was a bit surprised to find out that Red was a herbivore, which Cloud found was odd because Cosmo Canyon was in the middle off a desert and there were hardly any plants, but the food he ate for the past three days, were as if they were grown in a meadow or orchid. Red sat at the table his four legs resting on the rug, Cloud sat opposite Red.

"Sorry there's no meat, but…" Red didn't have time to finish.

"Don't worry about it, I know you're a herbivore plus I prefer to eat this stuff," Cloud said.

"And I though you would be missing Tifa's cooking," Red teased.

Cloud grew silent, he lowered his head, his eyes facing the floor, again the topic of Tifa, it was something he wanted to avoid talking about. Red noticed how silent Cloud grew whenever he mentioned Tifa, both of them were his companions and friends, and apparently there was tension between them, so Red decided he's play love doctor.

"Could did something happen between you and Tifa?" The talking-beast asked.

"We just had an argument, it's nothing," He replied trying to make a short explanation that wouldn't encourage his friend from asking more questions, but Red was a lot smarter than humans.

"So you moved out all the way here from a single argument, I'm not convinced, did she kick out or something?" The untamed creature asked.

"Something like that," Cloud replied.

Now Red was convinced that something was amiss, Tifa no matter how angry she was would never through anyone out, and she rarely even got angry, and Cloud also acting like a child that had just lost or broken his favorite toy, the animal didn't want to get involved when his grandfather was away, but maybe he could just help them out, after all he was around as long as Vincent probably even longer.

"I'm not convinced, if you don't want to talk about it that's alright, but maybe I can help if you just tell me, you know you can trust me with anything," Red stated.

"I told you, she kicked me out," Cloud told him again.

"Maybe you misinterpreted, mind telling me what happened?" Red asked again.

Cloud then went on to tell him the events of what transpired after Tifa's date with Vincent. After listening to the story for several minutes, Red sat on his hind legs, while his two front ones were vertical and stood on the floor. Red didn't laugh as most people would have, he was much more understanding, he was probably the only one other than Aerith that understood Cloud's awkwardness

"Oh I see, you think because she got angry with you, and had a great time with Vincent, she doesn't want you to stay there anymore," Red summarized.

"She doesn't need me anymore, she'd probably want Vincent to move in, and I'd just get in their way, she's much rather have him join her family so it would be best if I left," Cloud added in a quite monotone voice.

'There's no way he could be this dense' Red said in his mind, 'And Vincent what the hell is he thinking, falling for Tifa.'

"Cloud you know you're welcome to live here if you wish, to tell the truth it gets kinda lonely sometimes, but well, I got a better idea, how about you put that lifetime membership pass to the Gold Saucer to use," Red stated.

Cloud looked at Red a bit confused, "You want to go to Gold Saucer, never struck me as the type to enjoy Chocobo racing," he added with sarcasm.

'He's really this dense, I can't believe it, if I hadn't met the other members of AVALANCHE I would have thought all humans were like this' Red said in his mind.

"Not for me, it's for Tifa," Red explained.

Cloud looked at him a bit confused, he didn't understand what Red was implying, Red also saw how confused Cloud was released a sigh, he was going to have to explain it to him.

"Cloud why don't you take Tifa out on a date," Red suggested.

Cloud was definitely surprised by Red's comment, he held and even more confused look on his face, Red sighed again after seeing Cloud's expression.

"I'm sure you can make things better it you take her out, besides you got that lifetime membership and it's been nearly three years since you last went there, so why not carry her out, I'm sure she'll forgive you for messing up, plus I'm sure you want to see Denzel and Marlene again," Red explained.

"I don't know, she and Vincent are lovers, I'd just get in the way," Cloud replied.

"Cloud I'm willing to bet that if you ask her she'll agree, and I'm also willing to bet that you want to return to Edge also," Red stated with confidence.

Cloud turned his gaze to the window on the eastern wall, since they were so high up, he only saw an endless blue and stretched on and on.

"You're pretty confident," the blue-eyed warrior replied, his gaze never shifting from the clear blue sky.

"Besides look at it this way, you've got nothing to loose and everything to gain," Red summarized.

Cloud knew he wanted to return to his 'family', it was important to him, he may not have known what love is, but he cared deeply for his little family, but he didn't want to return where he wasn't wanted and there was someone else taking his place, but like Red said, he had nothing to loose and everything to gain.

"Alright I'll try it," He said finally turning back to face his companion.

To Be Continued...

* * *

I know this chapter is kinda boring well it's actually the 1st part of whatI planned for chapter 9, butI was forced to only post this part, because well I'm typing using one hand, but the second one will be up soon,I promise. Even an injury can't keep me down, laughs evily, okay I fixed some errors, but please remember I'm not good with English, I typed it with one hand and was in the middle of one of my classes, the lecturer was making me die of boredom, so I decided to update.

Till next time...


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7 any of it's characters or references, that includes the entire compilation, it's not mine.

Didn'tI promise to update soon, here enjoy:

Chapter 10: Twilight

Tifa sat quietly at the bar, it was night-time and she had already closed the bar, she had already sent the children to bed, it was now almost five days since he had gone, the children were beginning to question where he was, she managed to make up convenient excuses but they wouldn't last, she would have to tell them that Cloud had left again, but this time it was her fault that he had left. She didn't want to tell them that, she knew how much they looked up to him especially Denzel, the young boy copied Cloud in every way imaginable even managing to convince Tifa to buy clothes similar to what Cloud wore that would be able to fit him in his own size, if he ever found out that the blond-haired swordsman had left it would break his heart and if she told him it was because of her…she didn't want to think of the outcome, she loved the young boy as if they were cut from the same cloth, as if he was her own blood-kin and couldn't bare the thought of him hating her because of her mistake.

But Tifa was also hurting inside not from the confession she would have to tell the children but she also missed Cloud, she missed him dearly, and so she sat alone in the darkened bar, there was only one light on, it hung from the ceiling-fan, which was spinning quite slowly, barely enough to give any breeze, the light came down on Tifa who was sitting in front of the counter, it was a bit strange for her because she always served from behind it but it didn't bother her anymore, all those feelings of awkwardness didn't matter because of the hole in her chest, the space that once housed her heart. Her eyes were on the small glass with her drink in it, Tifa rarely drank despite running a bar, but it was only when she was worried, she had barely touched her drink, the ice had barely dissolved, and the condensation on the glass began to melt away forming droplets that traveled down the short length and onto the counter, making a circular shape, a wet outline of the circumference of the base of the glass.

Her eyes seemed to be like in a trance as if hypnotized, they were fixed on the drink in the glass, but her mind was drifting between the real world and the lifestream, though both Vincent and herself were a couple she was searching for someone else, a person with blond spiky hair that seemed to defy gravity, a person with shining azure eyes that held a glowing green mako rings around both, who carried a sword bigger than himself. She wanted to see his face, to see if he was happy, just to feel his touch, to see him looking at her, though it had only been five days, it felt like five years for her.

The silence that she sat in was enough to drive a person insane, there was no sound, not from the slowly moving ceiling fan, not from the sleeping children, nothing. Another droplet formed around the rim of the glass, also at the same time from the outer-corner of her left eye a tear also began developing, after barely a second had passed the droplet streamed down the side of the glass leaving the path on the condensation that it traveled, as the droplet ran down the side of the glass, the tear from her eye also come out from her hypnotized eye and traveled down her cheek until it reached her chin, their it hung for a moment, the droplet was still slowly moving down the side of the glass, then the single tear dropped from her chin and into her drink.

As the droplet reached the base of the glass, just barely a millimeter above the counter, there was a soft knock on the door. Snapping out of her waking dream, Tifa spun around, she heard a click and the doorknob turned, her crimson eyes fixed on the door, she got off the stool and onto her feet, she didn't care who it was, all logical thought was absent from her mind, the only thing she thought was that it was a burglar, not knowing that it was rare for a burglar to have a key for the building or that it could be one of her friends, as the door creaked opened, it slowly moved from one side to the other and an all to familiar face came into view, it was blond-haired warrior that carried a sword bigger than himself. Without thinking a second thought, with no time for her eyes to widen in surprise, without words she flung herself off her feet and in one swift motion her body was pressed up against his, her hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him down into her, her head buried within him also.

"Cloud," she breathed barely above a whisper.

The initial action had caught him by surprise, it wasn't the greeting that he had envisioned, but soon he relaxed and welcomed her. His hands went around her waist and pulled her into him, trapping her smaller frame into his.

"Tifa," He said slightly louder than her voice, "I'm sorry,"

"It's alright," She said welcoming her tears, "You're here now that's all that matters," the countless tears streaming down her face leaving a wet trail behind.

Cloud felt his shirt getting wet, he knew why it was Tifa's tears they were soaking into the cloth, but he showed no sign of discomfort, or any signs of trying to stop her, though he was apologizing in each other's silence they understood each other, it was an ability they both shared whenever they were in a close proximity, the ability to sense each other's pain and know when they were sad

"Tifa, I'm sorry," He apologized again.

"It's alright, I should be the one to apologize not you, Cloud….," Her voice was barely recognizable

"Tifa let me make it up to you," Cloud said.

"Cloud?" She questioned.

"Let me take you to the Gold Saucer tomorrow," He said his eyes facing forward not looking down at her.

"Cloud?" She questioned again this time ripping her head off his chest and for the first time in five days locking her crimson eyes with his azure ones.

Cloud looked down at her, to see her looking up at him, her eyes were sad, filled with sorrow and also filled with loneliness. Was it because of him? Did he fill her with this loneliness?

"I sorry, I failed you again, let me make it up to you," He said with a slight curl on his lips.

She buried her head into his chest again, "Of course Cloud but only on one condition."

"What's that?" He asked.

"You'll never leave again," The raven-haired maiden stated.

"Only as long as you'll have me," He answered.

Tifa didn't want to leave Cloud alone, but he said he'd be in his room when she got back up so she should rest, actually she had barely slept after he had left. She knew Vincent had noticed it and she didn't want him to worry about her, he had even offered to stay over to keep her company so she wouldn't feel lonely but she had refused.

When the children awoke, as had become a part of their routine for the past five days, they would check Cloud's room to see if he was home as soon as they had gotten home, this time they found him asleep on his bed, their eyes widened and were about to jump on him, but Tifa had stopped them, telling them that he had gotten home late and needed to rest, the children were sad but also glad that their 'father' were home.

Cloud awoke to the smell of something delicious, it was actually because of his nose that he awoke, sure the food he ate the past week was delicious but this was different, the scent was familiar but held that tasty smell that tickled the taste buds in your mouth. After getting out of the bed Cloud made his way downstairs, still only dressed in his long black pants that he usually slept in, his top half exposed, and his hair surprisingly was the way it always was.

The two children were around a table sitting on the barstools eating their breakfast, Tifa was behind the counter still behind the stove apparently she wasn't done with breakfast, silence filled the room as the children's attention was shifted from their meal to the visitor, Tifa didn't notice the growing awkwardness between the children and Cloud. All Cloud did was smile at the children. Denzel was the first one to break the silence.

"Why did u go all the way to Mideel to make a delivery?" Denzel asked.

One of Cloud's eyebrow's slightly arched, he realized that Tifa didn't tell the children what really happened, but he couldn't blame her after all it was his fault.

Tifa was silent, she had heard the Denzel's voice, and then she knew Cloud would realize that she hadn't told the children the truth. Would he hate her for lying and keeping the truth? It wasn't the first time she had done this but on the two occasions that she did, she had pure intentions, it was always to protect others, what came from Cloud's mouth surprised her, it wasn't the reply she was expecting.

"Sorry about that, don't worry it's the last time I make a delivery so far," He apologized to the children, in truth he wanted to apologize for leaving but at the same time he didn't want to tell them he left, this is probably what Tifa felt also when she confronted the children, he didn't want to hurt their feelings after all they were still children.

The door to Seventh Heaven opened and three of Denzel's and Marlene's friends walked in, then Marlene leant over to Denzel and whispered something into Denzel's ear.

Tifa was now facing Denzel and Marlene, she nodded at him, she knew they wanted to leave, and he had already asked her about it the night before and she had agreed. The children got up from their seat and ran over to Cloud, they hugged him, their action had caught him by surprise.

"Is something wrong?" Cloud asked.

Marlene giggled a bit and Denzel replied to Cloud's question, "We've got a surprise, Cloud can I ask you a favor?"

"Depends on the favor," Cloud replied.

"It's a secret," Denzel put briefly.

The blue-eyed swordsman then knelt down in front of the child, Denzel then whispered something into Cloud's ear. Cloud became perplexed by the boy's request, but he whispered something back into his ear. Denzel smiled and both him and Marlene ran off with their friends. Cloud then stood up to see Tifa's crimson orbs on him, her eyes held the question of what had just transpired, she didn't have to say it, because her gaze did.

"Just guy talk," He replied to her, "but I wonder what he would want with it?" Cloud questioned himself.

"Want what?" She asked.

"Don't' worry it's nothing dangerous, and it's kinda personal," Cloud answered as he walked over to her.

"Oh well if that's the case, but I will find out eventually," She replied.

"You probably will," He stated.

This conversation she had with him, the shear joy of them acting like a family, it filled her with joy, it made her have hope that they were indeed a family, her eyes followed Cloud, as he took a seat, behind the counter, she wanted to ask him so many questions about where he had been and it he was alright, but she stifled her curiosity. However Cloud was able to sense Tifa's discomfort.

"Is something the matter?" He asked taking a seat behind the counter looking up at her.

"It's nothing," She replied as she put a plate of food before him.

However the mako-infused SOLDIER knew something wasn't right, he actually knew the questions she was going to ask, "You want to know where I've been?" He asked her.

Tifa's eyes opened wide in surprise, he had figured out her question, she didn't know how to respond to this, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," She replied, he would already know that she had gone to the church to see if he was there but he wasn't there.

"I was in Cosmo Canyon," Cloud stated.

"You were staying with Red?" She asked.

Cloud nodded. That had taken care of her first question now it was time for her second, and this was probably the most important, it made her heart beat faster, yet seemed to slow down time, making a second seem like an hour, she didn't want it to be a fake memory, she clearly remembered Cloud asking her out on a date the night before, but it could have all just been wishful thinking.

"Cloud, last night…you asked me to go to Gold Saucer didn't you?" She asked him.

Cloud grew solemn, "You don't want to go?" He asked his face lowered his eyes on the counter.

"No, I want to," Tifa suddenly blurted out before knowing she even replied. Tifa was surprised by her own statement, she didn't mean to suddenly blurt it out but she no control over her emotions. She also started to feel guilty, both herself and Vincent were supposed to be a couple, but here was about to out on a date with someone else.

In all honestly she didn't know what to think, Cloud kept breaking her heart even if it was unintentional he kept causing her pain, and Vincent was the one who was mending her broken heart, he was succeeding also until Cloud had walked out on her, shattering the pieces that were slowly being rebuilt. But maybe this time it was different maybe he was beginning to feel for her, but at the same time she felt as if she was also breaking Vincent's heart, he had dedicated so much time to her and was so peaceful but Tifa needed to follow her heart, to see where it lay, it would be a disservice to stay with a person who loves you and not returning the emotion because she loved someone else and going out with Cloud would show her where her heart lay, but deep down, covered in the darkest depths of her soul, buried where no one could reach, she knew to who it belongs to.

The day had passed how they usually did when they lived as a family, Cloud had left to make some deliveries, he left before Vincent came, Tifa had told him that she was going out for the evening but she didn't say with whom, she knew he would be upset if she told him. Denzel and Marlene had found their way back home also, Barret would be watching the children, he kept being dragged into the conflict between Tifa and Cloud and didn't know why but enjoyed spending time with the children and this time he wouldn't be tricked by them or so he thought.

Vincent had left when Tifa closed the bar, but not before he had kissed her goodbye, Tifa felt guilty about keeping the truth from him, it seems it was something she had grown accustomed to; keeping secrets from the people she cares about that guilt she kept within her just kept growing and growing as the day went on but once she heard the familiar sound of a motorbike engine her guilt was forgotten. Cloud had arrived back home shortly after Vincent had left, his bike pulled up in front of the Seventh Heaven entrance. Tifa came outside to greet him, she didn't know why but she was looking forward to this, her heart was thumping loudly in her chest as she approached the Fenrir.

"Are you coming out for a minute, or do you want to leave immediately?" She asked.

"Whenever you're ready, it makes no difference to me," He answered.

Tifa was slightly irritated by his response, he sounded like the old Cloud, but then the realization sunk in, she was going on a date with the one she loved since she was a child, the one who held an unexplainable power over her.

"Well I'm ready, we can leave now," She stated.

"Alright then, let's go," Cloud replied.

Both Tifa and Cloud were on Fenrir as the black motorbike raced through the streets, Tifa's arms wrapped tightly around Cloud's waist, her head resting on his back, she enjoyed it, just the peacefulness, the clear sky and road, no obstacles before them, if only life was as easy as this, perhaps why this is why Cloud loved to ride his bike this much, the sheer serenity it provided; no obstacles in your path, the wind in your face, plus Tifa had an additional bonus, she was hugging the one her heart felt closest to.

To Be Continued…

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That chapter was kinda long, well for me any way,I hoped you enjoyed reading it, I have one more chapter I want to post before I go on vacation, I want some feedback, do you think things are moving to fast? Thanks to all who read, and to those who were worried, my hand is fine now.

Till Next Time...


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy any of it's characters or references.

Firstly let me say thank you to all who reviewed, I managed to hit 100 and amaranthos, what you did was really sweet and kind, I thank you for it.

Enjoy chapter 11 or not.

Chapter 11: Dawn

It was still early when they arrived at the Gold Saucer or so it appeared, the sun had already set but night had yet to fall, all the clouds had receded with the golden orb. Tifa hopped off Fenrir first followed by Cloud. They had parked the bike in the parking lot and had to get onto the tram to get up to the entrance of the only theme park on Gaia. All the while the two were in an awkward silence, neither one not knowing what to say to each other, but somehow hey felt content in the silence. The tram came to a halt and the doors opened, Cloud and Tifa were the only ones that occupied the tram, Tifa stepped out first followed by Cloud, both were dressed in their usual attire. Tifa had on her small white tank top, with the black leather vest over it, and her short black pants that stopped short of her knees, she also wore a silver wolf ring on one of her fingers, her abdomen was exposed, and a pair of black shoes on her feet. Cloud was dressed in his dark blue t-shirt that had a zipper instead of buttons, his long equally dark jeans and a pair of dark brown boots on his feet that also had zippers on them and a silver wolf earring on his left ear. He didn't have on his sword holster on him and his shoulder guard was also removed. The duo walked in silence towards the entrance of the park.

Cloud showed his lifetime pass to the guard at the door and motioned for Tifa to enter before him, which she did but not before slipping him one of her trademark smiles. Once both of them were inside Tifa turned to face Cloud.

"Ok so where do you want to go first?" Tifa asked.

"You choose," Cloud replied, not really taking an interest, one ride was a good as another for him.

Tifa was slightly hurt and annoyed from his response, she had expected him to select something or at least be interested but unfortunately he wasn't showing much emotion.

"Alright let's go to the Event Square, the play should start soon."

Cloud lowered his head and followed Tifa as she walked off in the direction of the Event Square.

'Not this again, last time I was there on a date with Aerith it didn't end so well' Cloud said in his mind recollecting the events that happened, he himself didn't believe he made those choices to get Aerith angry at him.

"Cloud hurry up, stop dawdling around," Tifa called out from some distance ahead of him.

Cloud looked up to see Tifa ahead of him, he was to busy caught up in thought about his past experience there, but then again that didn't mean it was going to happen again, after all it was only because he was the 100th couple there.

'Red I hope you're right about this' Cloud said as he glanced up at the sky, it had already grown dark and in his mind he was still doubting himself.

Cloud immediately caught up with Tifa, there was hardly any people around probably because tomorrow was a workday, Cloud felt slightly relieved about it he didn't feel like dealing with crowds of people. As they walked side by side Cloud took Tifa's hand, he didn't know why maybe it was to give her security but he felt as if he should hold it.

Tifa couldn't fathom the feeling of joy that burst through her body when Cloud took her by the hand. When she had first entered the Gold Saucer she wondered if he would but realized that it would be out of character for him to do such an act so she went on ahead, now however she was in sheer bliss, she slightly squeezed his hand and stole a glance at him as they walked towards the Event Square.

Meanwhile Red was at his residence, he was standing on all fours looking at the cell phone on the table before him, it was similar to the one Cloud had, also around that cell phone on the table were several others, but they were broken beyond repair with holes in them, some split apart with wires and the circuit-board sticking out.

"Alright this is my last phone," Red said to himself slightly annoyed, "Now let's see, what was Cloud's number again?" He asked rhetorically.

Slowly he raised his right paw, he did his best to fold back his other toes and point out the index one only, but it had a sharp claw on it, he slowly lowered his paw towards the phone that sat on the table, but as the claw touched the phone it easily went through it wrecking it.

"Damnit!" Red said to himself, "That was my last phone, how do people even use these things they break so easily," Red fumed but suddenly got an idea, "I know I'll call grandpa and tell him to bring back a phone for me right away," but then realization hit, he had already wrecked all his phones, "Sorry Cloud I guess you're on your own," He finished.

Both Cloud and Tifa had arrived at Event Square, unlike Tifa who occasionally stole glances at him, Cloud however remained fixed on the path they traveled, he wanted to hide his nervousness from her, and he was partially worried that Red didn't call yet. After he had told Red how his date with Aerith had gone, the wild beast couldn't contain his laughter, but Red said that he would call him this time to help him so he wouldn't screw up.

When they entered they were surprised to see all the seats were filled by couples, the seating area was darkened, and the stage was brightly lit covered with bright colors and lights. Then something happened that Cloud didn't want to happen, a staff member dressed in a brown suit came up to the couple.

"Hey you two," The man said to Cloud and Tifa.

"Yeah, is something the matter?" Tifa asked, hoping that nothing was wrong, she didn't want anything to go wrong on her first date.

Somehow Cloud knew what the staff member was going to say but secretly prayed it wasn't what he thought it was.

"You two are the 100th couple to visit here tonight, you two get to play the main characters in the play," The man stated.

That was intercepted differently by the two Tifa was overjoyed, she had never acted before and looked forward to the experience, but Cloud it hit him like a sledgehammer this wasn't happening the way he wanted.

"Don't worry it's not hard, the rest of the cast will help you out if you get in trouble," The staff member explained.

Tifa looked at Cloud's face, it seemed like he seemed to be cringing in pain, "Come on Cloud it'll be fun," she said as she took him by the hand and led him to the stage.

Cloud and Tifa were now backstage the narrator had begun the opening scene of the play.

Narrator: Long, long ago. An evil shadow appeared over the peaceful kingdom of Galdia. Princess Rosa was just kidnapped by the Evil Dragon King, Valvados. What will become of her? Just then, the legendary hero, Alfred appears!

Cloud knew what was going to happen next this was the same play both him and Aerith had to participate in almost three years ago, at this point Cloud walks onto the stage along with an actor dressed as a knight, there was a brief applause from the audience.

"Sir, you must be the great hero Alfred," The knight said referring to Cloud.

Cloud knowing it was his queue does a slight bow.

"Alfred, I beg of you save princess Rosa, now please talk to the king," The actor said again.

Another actor walks onto the stage, this time dressed as an authentic King.

"Alfred, you have come to save my precious Rosa, the dragon king Valvados dwells atop of that mountain," The king said. Both him and Cloud turn to the canvas on the rear to the stage to see a mountain painted in, "But you cannot beat the dragon king as you are you must seek the aid of someone."

Another actor came onstage this one dressed as a sorcerer.

"I am the king's sorcerer, what is it you wish to know?" The sorcerer asked.

"Tell me of the dragon king's weaknesses?" Cloud asked trying to fill the role but still feeling a bit uneasy and trying to make all rational choices, he didn't want another repeat event of what happened last time, or else he probably won't be welcome in Seventh Heaven again.

"You seek to know of the dragon king's weaknesses, ahh this power it must be true love, the power of love is the only weapon that can slay the dragon king," The sorcerer said with a remarkable performance. Even the audience seemed to be getting into the play as their cheers could be heard.

Cloud wondered how Tifa was doing, he hoped she wasn't hurt, he hadn't seen her since he had been on stage. Suddenly another actor came onto stage, this one different from the others, he was larger than the others and easily towered over Cloud, he was dressed as a dragon, and was holding Tifa, while she was pretending to be helpless, Cloud knew she could easily turn the tables on him and pummel the man.

"I am the evil dragon king Valvados," The actor said in a loud tone trying his best to sound sinister but failing miserably sounding more like a comic, "I have not harmed the princess, I have been expecting you Alfred!"

"Oh! please save me Alfred," Tifa said trying to sound helpless, Cloud stifled the urge to laugh but also couldn't help the building of rage within in to pummel the man that was holding Tifa, no matter if it was a play he had the urge to protect her.

"Alfred prepare for your demise!" The dragon king roared at Cloud.

"What will you do now?" The sorcerer asked.

Cloud then went over to Tifa, he knelt down on one knee, he then took her hand and placed a kiss upon it.

"Cloud," Tifa said almost losing her breath and forgetting her line but quickly realizing it and coming to her senses, "I mean, Alfred."

"Curses!" The actor then stumbles back, "The power of love!" The dragon king slowly disappears of the stage behind Cloud and Tifa.

The crowd erupted with an applause as well as cheers towards the actors especially the main cast.

"Look the power of love has triumphed," The king said, "Come everyone let's celebrate."

Narrator: And so the evil dragon king was defeated and Alfred and Rosa lived happily ever after.

Cloud and Tifa managed to slip out of the Event Square and headed for the station.

"Cloud thanks a lot for that," Tifa said to him.

Cloud turned to her his expression seemed to be gentler than before, "Don't worry I'm just glad I didn't mess up."

"How would you have messed up?" She queried with a raised eyebrow.

Cloud not wanting to go into that experience changed the topic, "How about we go on the Gondola?" He asked.

Tifa face lit up at his suggestion, finally Cloud was beginning to act as if he was on a date and not his usual cold self, "Alright then let's go."

The couple then proceeded to the Round Square, where they stopped at the ticket booth to purchase two tickets, they then got into the carriage together, as soon as they were seated the Gondola was lifted up into the air and began going higher and higher, Tifa sat close to the window and Cloud was opposite her, sitting on the other side.

"It's so beautiful Cloud," Tifa said commenting upon seeing all the lights on the Gold Saucer from such a height, suddenly fireworks began to go off, Tifa looked on amazed at what she saw while Cloud remained rooted to his seat, his eyes fixed on the maiden. Tifa turned to him again, "Cloud thanks for everything."

"What are you thanking me for, I'm the one that should be apologizing to you," He retorted.

"Cloud I'm sorry again," Tifa apologized, "I didn't mean to lose my temper, I'm always so mean to you and her you are being so kind to me…" She was cut off.

"Tifa don't worry about it, I was the one that was wrong, you trusted me and I betrayed you, but let's forget about it, it's in the past," He finished.

"Alright then," She said smiling at him.

The Gondola then came to a halt and couple stepped out.

"It's pretty late, and I don't want to leave the kid's with Barret for to long, we should probably head back," Tifa said.

"Yeah you're probably right," Cloud agreed.

"But it was fun we should do this again, sometime soon," Tifa added hoping he'd agree so she'd get to go on another date with him.

"Yeah I guess it was," was all Cloud replied but it left Tifa happy.

It was around half past eleven when they reached back to seventh heaven. Cloud parked his bike and they both got off, when he opened the door, he was followed by a beaming Tifa who couldn't seem to get the smile off her face, they went past the bar and into the living room to see Barret asleep on the couch with Marlene sleeping on him and Denzel sleeping on another couch.

"We should carry them to their beds," Tifa suggested.

"What about Barret?" Cloud asked.

"Leave him, just bring him a blanket," Tifa answered.

Cloud picked up Denzel and Tifa picked up Marlene, they both carried them to their room and placed them on their respective beds, both children didn't flinch while being transferred but settled in when they landed on their soft beds. Tifa then went about getting a blanket for Barret. After she was finished, she went on her way to find Cloud, he had already changed and was in his room. She stood in his doorway smiling, Cloud who was sitting on his windowsill looking out at nothing in particular turned to face her.

"I really had fun tonight," Tifa said to him.

Cloud silently got up off the windowsill and walked over to her, he then took her hand and led her up the stairs and down the hall to her room.

"It was fun, wasn't it?" Cloud asked her.

"Yeah it was," She replied.

Both their bodies were extremely close to each other probably because they were facing each other in a narrow passageway. Before Tifa knew what she was doing and before Cloud could react she was on her toes and her arms were wrapped around his neck and they were both in a soft kiss, at first it had caught him by surprise but he slowly gave in and wrapped his hand around her waist, both their lips were fused together as they gently brushed over each other, it wasn't deep but the feeling of both their lips touching was intoxicating but after a few minutes he violently pulled away leaving a confused Tifa.

"Cloud is everything alright?" she asked concerned since he was looking down and panting heavily.

"Tifa I'm sorry but we should never let things get that far," Cloud responded.

"Huh Cloud what's going on?" Tifa asked.

"Tifa, we shouldn't have done that, we shouldn't do it again," Cloud stated.

Tifa was almost in tears, "I don't understand why?" She questioned.

Cloud turned around not facing her, "I already told you I cannot return what you feel for me, please Tifa."

That was the blow that splintered everything, the tears came down without Tifa even noticing it, "But all that happened today, why did you carry me on a date?" She questioned refusing to give in to her weakness.

"Because I don't want you to hate me, you're my best friend and I don't want to lose you," Cloud replied.

"I still don't sob understand, sob why can't you love me?" Tifa said her sobs becoming apparent.

"Tifa you mean a lot to me, but please don't ask this of me," Could said surprisingly calm.

Tifa's tears began falling on the floor, the wet streams across her face could clear be seen even in the dim light of the hallway, "Will I always be here only a friend?" She asked.

"I don't know," Was his reply.

Tifa cleared the distance between them despite his back facing her she hugged him tightly and wrapped her arms around his stomach.

"Cloud I don't know why I feel this way, I only know that I do, Cloud please say it's not true," Tifa said pleading.

Cloud turned to face her, he looked down at her, his glowing eyes calm and gentle, he ungloved his hands and wiped away her tears, Tifa could feel her sadness regress by his action, he then suddenly embraced her, it was an action that took her surprise, but she hugged him back.

"Cloud please understand, I do not wish to see you sad, but I can't return what you feel for me, please understand," Cloud apologized.

"Will you always love her and not me?" She asked with an eerie calm.

"I'm not sure," Cloud answered with the same calmness.

"So you do love her and not me," Tifa spoke sadly.

Cloud broke the embrace and he looked into her eyes, he saw her heartbreak, her loneliness, her pain, her suffering, it was all reflected in those beautiful ruby eyes of hers. He turned away from her and proceeded down the dark corridor, he almost vanished from view when she collapsed on her knees, her tears still running, but she heard the words he spoke next.

"Please forgive me."

To Be Continued…

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Ok this chapter took really long to write and I don't know how it turned out, but you'll let me know won't you, for some reason I felt the characters felt really static, oh and in case you haven't realized, I really like Red, he was one of my most favorite characters during the game, to bad AC made him look pathetic. I think I've spent to much time on this fic I'm going to update DT now. 

Oh and thanks again to all my readers, I love you guys, you're the best, and to all my reviewers, ALL OF YOU: Thanks, thanks from the bottom of my heart.

Till next time...


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 any of it's characters or references.

Alright I know it's been a long time since I updated but I'm here at last with surprise...

Chapter 12: Chaos Requiem

A new day had dawned upon the city of Edge. However on this morning it was deathly silent. There were no birds chirping, there was no-one outside doing their morning exercises, there was no sound of motor vehicles, just silence or perhaps that is what the young maiden envisioned. A world of silence, where word's were no longer necessary.

Tifa rested on her side facing the window that opened to the front of Seventh Heaven, her eyes open with no evident signs of sleep present. After having her heart broken twice by the same man anyone would expect her to break, for her pillow to be soaked from her tears, for their to be wet tear trails on her cheeks but there wasn't. She cried but only for a moment after Cloud had disappeared she went into her room and collapsed on her bed, however once her body touched the soft mattress the tears ceased to flow. Though her heart was aching, it had been shattered again by the same man, her mind and body refused to shed any tears, it's wasn't that she was holding them back, it's just they didn't come. Even if her heart longed to cry there would be none, her body had already decided that she had shed enough tears for him.

And now she laid silently, thinking about the past, the present and things to come. She thought about all the trials and hardships she had endured and how not once she had ever complained, she was sad but she never complained, she thought about her family, it was the most important thing to her, worth cherishing and dying for and finally she thought about how she would have to confront Vincent and tell him what happened between her and Cloud. She tried her hardest to keep Cloud from her thoughts and it worked, while she was awake during the early morning unable to go back to sleep she thought about her dreams. Once what seemed like a long time ago she dreamt of the possibility of her and Cloud together, it's was a child's fairy tale, a love story straight out of a story book her and Cloud, but it was not reality, and she couldn't live in a dream no matter how much she wanted to.

Then what sound like a train crashing to interrupting her thoughts she heard a soft knock on the door. She already knew who it was from the sound of the knock, it was her adoptive daughter, or whom she told people was her daughter, because it was Barret's adoptive child and whomever he married would be Marlene's adoptive mother.

"Door's open sweetie," She said in her infectiously sweet tone as if nothing was wrong.

The door slowly creaked open and the young girl cautiously entered, she was still in her pajamas, there was still sleep present in her eyes. Wordlessly the girl walked over to Tifa's bed and climbed onto it. She then snuggled into her person she called mother, Tifa's arm came around the girl. Marlene's eyes were closed as she tried to snuggle closer, trying to get as much affection as possible. A small smile formed on the ruby-eyed maiden as she looked down at the child. Soon her voice filled the room as she started to sing a soft lullaby to the sleeping child. The soft melody that comprised of Tifa's angelic voice was barely audible outside the room. Soon Marlene was in a deep sleep.

Outside the room however the blue-eyed warrior sat against the door to Tifa's room. He had heard her singing, it was enough to fill him with calmness and at the same time he wondered how his childhood friend could sing like that, it would put even the most talented singer to shame. But he was not here just to listen to her singing, he had another reason, he wanted to tell her he was leaving and he didn't know when he would return. In his mind he was contemplating how to break the news to her. Was he just going to leave without telling her like last time, or would he just spit it out in her face then leave?

He didn't know how, but he needed to go, he needed couldn't explain it the building of emotions within him, the conflicting thoughts, the spiraling memories. He couldn't explain it and he needed to figure out himself, but for how long he would be gone he didn't know. Deep in his mind he wondered if he would regret leaving, the last time he didn't regret it, though to others it may have looked like it was a waste of time to him it was necessary and he didn't regret it. He had already made up his mind to gently tell her hoping she won't get angry or sad, he already knew he had broken her heart and then he had set up her hope again and then shattered it once more. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted but he just couldn't return what she felt for him. Confidence was something that Cloud was never good at. When he heard her singing to Marlene he seriously reconsidered leaving but he had to he couldn't stay with the family he had grown to love.

Suddenly the door opened making the blond-haired swordsman lose his balance but he quickly regained it. Tifa looked at Cloud puzzled.

"Cloud what are you doing here?" She asked in her normal voice.

"Tifa, there's something I need to talk with you about," He answered.

"Sure we can go to your room, Marlene is sleeping here and I don't want to disturb her."

There was no awkwardness between the two as they walked silently to Cloud's room. The tension was gone it was as if the night's event's had never occurred. Tifa sat as the edge of his bed and Cloud turned the chair from his desk to face away from where Tifa was sitting and then sat on it placing his elbows on top of the back rest.

"Okay what's wrong?" The raven-haired maiden asked.

"Tifa, there's something I have to tell you, something important…" He was cut off.

"If it's about last night don't worry, it was my fault for getting my hopes up," She answered lowering her head but no trace of remorse in her voice.

"That's not it, Tifa I have to go away for a while," He didn't know how it came out with such ease, he had rehearsed the event countless times in his mind and it never was this easy.

Tifa didn't appear hurt or angry, she looked up at him and captured his gaze with her eyes, "How long are you going for?" She asked, "A period or indefinitely?"

"I'm not sure," was the response.

"Well you should tell the children," She finished standing up and heading over to the doorway.

Before she could reach the door his voice stopped her, "Tifa I'm leaving now."

If his words before didn't reach the frozen shards that once comprised her heart, these did. When he first told her he was leaving, she didn't feel anything, maybe because she knew he would leave, but these it stung at her. She barely saw his image as he walked past her and down the steps.

"Tell the children I said goodbye," were his final words before his disappeared from her view.

Tifa was in a state of shock. Did Cloud just walk out of their lives as if it was nothing important? She was sad, she wanted to scream, she wanted to be angry at him but couldn't, no tears came to her eyes, no words came to her mouth, she wanted to cry but couldn't her body refused to let her shed tears for him, she wanted her legs to move to run to him and beg him to stay but they won't move it was as if her body was telling her to let him go, but her soul kept screaming. She heard him start his motorbike, then she heard it drive off.

The day had passed rather uneventful, Denzel and Marlene had spent their day with their friends and Tifa stayed at the bar. She was surprised that Vincent didn't come to work today, he was usually early. It was late afternoon, she hadn't told the children's about Cloud's departure instead she had told him he left early to make a delivery of course that story wouldn't last long both were very keen and she would have to break it to them. Then the questions would come and she didn't have the answers. Did Cloud leave because of her? Was he afraid that things would become awkward between them? They were the questions she kept replaying in her mind and if the answer was yes to both of them then it would mean he left because of her, and that would just shatter the children's hearts.

The door opened and the small bell that hung over the doorway gave off a little jingle, instantly Tifa snapped out of her thoughts and changed to her new customer except it wasn't a customer but Vincent escorting Denzel.

"Something happen?" Tifa asked, she hadn't remembered Denzel saying anything about visiting Denzel, he said he was going over to Johnny's Heaven today.

"No, actually everything's just fine," The young boy replied smiling at her and then walked off.

Tifa was slightly taken back. Denzel was absolutely beaming, she had rarely seen him so happy but it warmed her heart to see him in such bliss. The young maiden then turned her attention to Vincent. She knew a confrontation with him was inevitable and it might as well be now seeing as how so many things have been going wrong but before she could speak he spoke first.

"Are you busy?"

"I'm just about to close up," She answered.

"It's awfully early to be closing, don't you think?" He asked.

"I'm just not in the mood to run the bar right now, I'm thinking of putting it on hold for a while," The ruby-eyed beauty explained.

"Then when you're finished can we talk privately?" she nodded to his question.

It didn't take long for Tifa to close up the bar. Denzel and Marlene were playing in their room. Tifa accompanied by Vincent walked to the back of Seventh Heaven. There was no awkwardness between them but there was a slight tension and hesitation. Tifa didn't know what to tell him but she had to tell him that she broke his trust but at the same time she was slightly trembling and she didn't know why. She was standing away from him a few feet separating them. Vincent was the one to break the silence.

"Did you know Denzel attempted to join the WRO today?" the male asked.

Tifa instantly spun around and looked at him, her eyes were serious.

"That's why he went to Johnny's Heaven today to meet Reeve," Vincent explained.

"Reeve came to see him?" Tifa asked lowering her gaze from his.

"Yeah probably because he was your kid, but don't worry he didn't deny him nor accept him," The Ex-Turk further explained.

Tifa once again looked at him, "What does that mean?"

"He told don't be in a hurry to grow up and enjoy being a child."

"That does sound a bit like Reeve," Tifa replied, both could feel the tension fading away.

Seeing Tifa smile made a familiar warmth fill the gunman. He liked seeing her smile even though he would never admit it.

"I know," Vincent suddenly said.

Tifa sensed a change in Vincent's tone and she knew the conversation had changed.

"Know about what?" She asked although she had a pretty good idea about what he was talking about.

"You went out with Cloud," He was with a hint of sorrow.

"I know I should have told you but…" She was cut off.

"I know you probably still have feelings for him," Vincent walked closer to her, "I just hate seeing the both of you together, I hate seeing what he's putting you through."

They were about one foot away from each other. Vincent who was only slightly taller than Tifa was looking down at her, Tifa in turn had her face lowered, she couldn't bring herself to face him.

"Cloud left this morning, and not on a delivery," She told him.

The crimson-eyed gunman placed his hands on each of her shoulders.

"Tifa you once asked me why I felt the way I feel for you, the truth is I've never been true to my emotions, I loved once before but when I first met you I felt something strange…I couldn't explain it." Tifa kept quiet as she listened to his explanation, "These emotions for you that's I've held I've never acknowledged them until recently because I've never understood them, I kept thinking I was in love with someone else when I wasn't."

Tifa couldn't believe Vincent was bearing himself before her, it was so out of character for him.

"What I'm trying to say it…Tifa I've fallen in love with you," He said as last.

Tifa looked at him, "Vincent," She barely whispered his name.

Without anymore words he lowered his head until both their lips touched. It was a soft kiss, with his lips gently brushing against it but it was building a heat within her.

"Vincent, I'm sorry for all I've put you through but…" Again she was cut off.

"I'm not about to give up on you, even if you love someone else…" Now he was cut off.

"It's hard to love someone who's doesn't love you, I care for Cloud deeply but with you…I feel…I feel safe…and…and happy, I've already decided that Cloud and I were never meant to be…but because I decided it doesn't mean I've accepted it…I mean it's difficult to accept." She explained to him.

Vincent moved his hands from her shoulders to cup her face, "Then I'll help you accept it."

With that they both started kissing again. This time both were more passionately and more demanding. After a few minutes they broke the kiss.

Tifa smiled up at him, "Why don't you stay here tonight?" She asked.

Vincent smiled back, "I'll accept your offer."

Tifa smiled back, Vincent was the one who could mend her broken heart, whenever she was with him, the pain that Cloud filled her with seemed to disappear. Maybe in time these feelings she bore for Cloud will vanish and she'll be able to return Vincent's feelings, maybe she already had begun to. But until then she'll cherish everything she have, two wonderful children and a handsome man who loves and cherishes her and with protect her, she had what he wanted all her life, a family.

Fenrir was perched atop the highway stretch than ran over Edge he looked down at Seventh Heaven, the place he once called home, where all his most fond memories resided. Even though he was high up he could see Tifa and Vincent, they seemed to be having a deep conversation, they he saw him kiss her, they broke away and started speaking again then they began kissing again, except this time she was kissing him back with the same passion he was kissing her with. A whirlwind of emotions erupted within Cloud, hurt, betrayal, anger, but he shook his head and brushed them aside. He saw them both go back into the house. He mounted Fenrir once more and sped off along the empty highway. It wasn't long until he exited the city, saying a silent farewell to the place where he was once the happiest, but he needed to go, he didn't know why but he needed to find something…something about himself, and he would be gone for a long period and didn't know if he would return. He also knew if he did find whatever it was he was looking for he would never return.

The sun was now setting, Edge was beginning to shrink as the gap between them grew wider, he said a final farewell in him mind, this time to the woman he cared the most for, maybe even loved, if things had been different maybe he could have fulfilled her fairytale dream and keep his promise. But fairytales are just that, fairytales and all promises are eventually broken.

The blond-spiky-haired, blue eyed warrior disappeared into the setting sun his motorbike creating a trail of dust behind him. The previous emotions he experiences when he saw Tifa and Vincent kissing replaced with another one…freedom.

"Farewell Tifa, I hope you find happiness," Were his final words.

To Be Continued...

This isn't the end epilogue will be up soon, that will change the scope of this entire fic. So while you wait, leave a review why don't you.

Till Next Time...


	13. Epilogue part1

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 any of it's characters or references

Sorry this chapter is so later(again) but I really don't have a schedule for my updates,(try holding down three different jobs while attending classes full time, no easy task).

Enjoy the epilogue.

Epilogue: part 1

Beyond the Bounds

It was a little past midnight when Cloud shot up from his bed. The images from his dream still lingering in his mind. His body was half-drenched with sweat. The blanket he uses was at his waist, the slowly turning overhead fan did nothing to help the situation with discomfort. His window was open but the curtains were drawn so it blocked out the silver light. He turned on his bed and brought his feet to the wooden floor. Though he had woken abruptly all traces of sleep was absent from his eyes. Instead he was focused on his sweat ridden body. It was feeling uncomfortable, he got off his bed and made his way over to the door, once he closed it behind him he climbed the staircase and went towards the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and watched at the water fell down into the sink before him, then he proceeded to wash his face. It only took a few minutes but the cool water on his skin helped remove the feeling of the unwanted heat from his skin but it didn't help to remove the image of Tifa kissing Vincent from his mind, it was etched in there like a bee-sting, bringing an uncomfortable pain that started off small yet uncomfortable and continually growing except unlike the bee-sting this pain generated an anger within the blond warrior.

Once he finished washing his face he reached for the towel rack located to the right of the sink, his hands gripped a familiar fabric, without even acknowledging the material he wiped his face as well as the sweat off his body. He stopped mid-way though and looked at the blue towel in his hand…it was his, his eyes turned towards the towel rack, they examined it for a second then wandered back over to the towel in his hands. He chuckled to himself for a moment. He had done it again.

How many times had Tifa reprimanded him for leaving his towel in the bathroom? He had actually lost count, but not matter how many times he apologized he kept repeating his mistake. However this time when he exited the bathroom he did so with the towel hanging over his shoulder, he placed it into his room but he wasn't ready to go back to sleep yet, the memories of the dream…no nightmare would more than likely come back. Instead he walked silently towards the children's room. Both were sound asleep, the young male couldn't help but smirk as the children, if they were awake they were always hyper, always off doing something, like today Denzel with the aid of Marlene had dyed his hair blond…the same colour as Cloud's hair. Cloud's eyes were fixed on the small boy his blond hair was still there, Tifa has tried to wash it out but whatever dye he used it couldn't be removed by water…Tifa…she nearly drew a fit when she saw her adoptive son's hair. He had even tried to mimic the spike on Cloud's hair but the results weren't on par with Cloud's…but if he did there's no doubt that Tifa would be angry with Cloud as well, for the rest of the day afterwards the two children were silent as if sensing Tifa' annoyance as disappointment with them.

He left the children's room and walked over to Tifa's he gently turned to knob and opened the door allowing it to open lightly only with enough space for his hand to fit through not his entire body…and there she lay…sleeping peacefully, facing away from him, the thin blanket she used reaching up to her shoulders. It did good to highlight her curves, it laid gently on her skin complementing her flawless figure that would make each male's jaw drop in awe. Unlike in his room however her curtains were drawn. The silver moonlight formed streams into her room and rested on her tranquil figure as well as stretching out on the walls as well as the floor. The way it illuminated her, made her look ethereal. Slowly she turned to rest on her back, this didn't help the build of emotions within the blue-eyed swordsman. His nails dug into the wooden door and dragged across it grazing both his nails and leaving marks in the door. Suddenly the image of Vincent and Tifa came into his mind again, the image of the person he once called friend kissing this goddess resting peacefully, it caused a rage to start building within him.

Now as she slept her looking so peaceful with the moonlight on her flawless, smooth, perfect ivory skin, she way beyond ethereal. Her hair splayed out beneath her, the curves of her bosom the light raise and drop of her slim waist, the image of Vincent was now gone instead in his mind, Vincent's image was replaced by Cloud's own image, He began to grit his teeth, he wanted her, he just wanted to be in the same bed with her, to hold her and call her his own, all he wanted at that moment was to see her smiling and not for anyone else only for him and also to hear her angelic voice, but fighting against all his urges and resisting temptation he stealthy closed the door.

Deciding he needed a drink he walked down into the bar area. He went behind the bar counter and took out a short glass but with a rather large circumference and diameter. He then took out a bottle filled with a strange glowing blue liquid and poured it into the glass but only filling it halfway.

"Hey how about another one over here?" A familiar yet alien voice called out.

Cloud immediately drew his attention towards the source of the voice, he didn't have a weapon but even without it he could still take down an army of Malboros. He wasn't going to attack first he was surprised because he didn't sense the air of danger, whoever this attacker was he didn't come with the intent of causing harm. However as quickly as his protective instinct to protect his family came into gear it was replaced by sheer shock. He couldn't believe his eyes. There sitting on the other side and at the edge of the counter sat Zack, still dressed in his usual attire and appeared the same way he always did.

"Zack?" He spoke somewhat questioningly

"Hey you gonna drink that?" The dark-haired ex-SOLDIER asked.

Cloud didn't respond he simply slid the glass down the counter till it reached by Zack, where stopped it and took a sip of the eerie liquid.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud asked sternly

"What kind of greeting is that? Where's the: how've you been friend? How did you come back from the dead? Are you here to stay? Do you need a place to stay?" Zack questioned sarcastically.

Cloud walked over to Zack but remained behind the counter.

"Hey Cloud I got a secret to tell you."

Cloud stared at his friend, he was still surprised to see him, well not so surprised because he had seen him once before after he had died, but even though it was a vision, here he appeared to be real and acted as if nothing was wrong as if it was normal for him to be here. As Zack got up to tell his friend his secret but received a powerful head-butt from his friend causing him to fall back.

"What was that for?" The blond warrior asked annoyed.

"For being an ass."

"Huh?" Cloud asked confused.

"I keep telling her to stop interfering but apparently my darling wife has taken it upon her to play matchmaker between you and Tifa," Zack explained, "That's the only reason I'm here."

Cloud had a hard time understanding Zack's statement, it took a few moments for him to process the information but he could only ask one question at this point.

"You and Aerith are married?" He half-stated, half-questioned.

"Yeah, well sorta…listen this thing a bit complicated in the lifestream but that's not why I'm here," Zack explained.

"Then why are you here?" Cloud asked again.

"Are you eager to get rid of me or something?" Zack asked back.

"I wouldn't want to keep you from your wife," Cloud replied somewhat teasingly, "And what this about interfering and playing a matchmaker?"

"Well Zack began, remember that dream you had earlier, who do you think sent it," The raven-haired man explained before taking a sip of his drink.

"Why would she do something like that?" Cloud asked his eyed fixed on the bar counter before him.

"Don't ask me, I'm the one who keeps telling her to stop interfering," Zack took another sip of his drink.

"But that nightmare…it was so…" Cloud didn't finish.

"Yeah about that dream, it wasn't a dream per se more like a glimpse into the future," Zack began to explain, "It's basically one possible outcome and the most likely with the way you've been going."

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked back.

"Hey do you remember when we worked for Shin-Ra, who was it you always talked about?" Zack questioned Cloud.

"That was a long time ago," Cloud answered bringing his gaze to meet his friend's.

"Yeah, but I remember there was a time you wouldn't shut up about this Tifa," Zack spoke knowing his friend was beginning to get uncomfortable, "Do you know how badly you hurt her last night?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you told her you can't return what you felt for her, that you don't love her," Zack continued, "Do you know for how long she's waited for you?"

"It's not that simple…it's…" Cloud strayed off again.

"Hey I probably know you better than anyone else, so don't try pulling that crap with me...or else I'll kick your ass…I also know that's not the case," Zack said as he stood up to face his friend.

"It's not that I don't love her…it's that I don't understand my feelings when it comes to her," Cloud began to explain, he looked up at his friend who was only slightly taller than him.

Zack sighed he was finally getting somewhere, "Then how do you feel about her?"

"I don't know…I care for her a lot, I hate seeing her with other men, even if she don't have any romantic interest in them, just to see them try flirting with her…I despise it, I despise them." He said his eyes looking on the floor beneath him.

"What is it you want from her?" Zack asked.

Cloud was a bit taken back from the question it was the first time he had been asked that, and also the first time he had actually thought about it. What was it he wanted from her? Did he even want something from her? No, he didn't, "All I want," Cloud spoke, "Is to make her happy…yeah…that's all I ever wanted."

"But you don't love her?" Zack questioned him.

"I don't know," Cloud replied.

"Don't know?" Zack asked.

"Love, I barely know what emotion, but I know it's nothing compared to what I feel for her…I just want her to keep smiling, I never want to see her sad, just to be with her and stay with her, that's what I want."

"Why don't you tell her that?" Zack asked, "Can't you see you're causing the opposite of what you want, instead of making her happy you're making her sad."

Cloud eyes shot up to glance at his friend, "Tell her how you feel, what you really feel, I'm sure you can make her happy, and change the future." The raven-haired man said.

"This is a dream isn't it?" Cloud asked.

"I guess you'll figure out soon," Zack finished then hit his un-suspecting friend with another hard head-butt."

Cloud's eyes opened wide as he lay on his bed. His forehead was hurting, strangely, he sat up off his bed and glanced around his room, it was another dream. He got off the bed and walked towards the window, it was early morning, and the sky was overcast with, he looked out the window, it was probably raining heavily earlier because he saw puddles of water and there was still a light drizzle. He placed his fingertips on he window, it was frosted but he felt the sensation he wanted to feel, he felt the coldness of the glass. It was obvious this wasn't a dream.

Quickly the blue-eyed swordsman left his room, he was still half-naked but didn't care he needed to talk with Tifa, and sure enough with the hurry in which he left his room he was unable to see where he was going and accidentally bumped into her. Tifa fell back on her butt, while Cloud stammered back a bit.

"Ouch Cloud, watch where you're going," Tifa said but never once looking up at him.

Her heart was racing, just being around him was beginning to feel uncomfortable, after all with what he had told her before, it made it difficult for her to be in his presence no matter how much she loved being around him it was still difficult.

"Sorry Tifa," Cloud apologized he then proceeded to give her his hand, Tifa accepted but looked away.

Feeling her skin touch his was like throwing gasoline on a fire, it made Tifa erupt on the inside, her eyes begged for tears to come, she wished the heartache would stop, but it couldn't, the night gone she had forced herself to stop thinking of him but to no avail and the more she kept thinking the more the tears would flow, it was an endless cycle.

As Tifa came to her feet her eyes turned to face him daring to look into the pair cerulean orbs before him, she began to get lost, but soon something happened she didn't expect, Cloud suddenly wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly, the young maiden was surprised to hear his sobs.

"Tifa I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Cloud apoligized

"Cloud is everything alright?" She asked her heart pounding wildly from their close proximity, she was almost sure he could hear them, she really needed to think about something else, "Cloud, isn't Vincent, Red and Yuffie supposed to come by this morning?"

Cloud suddenly remembered, he had told Tifa that they were coming to visit, but hearing her say Vincent's name…that was something he could go without, he hated it, after the nightmare he had he didn't want to hear her speaking his name.

Tifa mustering all her strength broke the embrace. She smiled at him and proceeded to walk toward the stairs faster than usual. She could feel the tears began to form despite her hardest effort to fight them back.

Then without any notice Cloud grabbed Tifa's wrist, without having a second to respond or to know what was going on, the next action Cloud did caused and eruption of emotions within the crimson-eyed maiden, because Cloud had spun her around with one swift movement brought his lips down on hers wrapping his arms around slender frame.

To Be Concluded…

Well that's the first part of the epilogue, I broke it into two parts because it's kinda large, and I did say this would change the entire scope of the fic didn't I. Did you really believe I would abandon CloTi? This chapter may seem kinda confusing but I'll explain everything in the next chapter. Well one more chapter to go then I'm finished. I also want to update my other ff7 fic but I want to finish this one, so I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible.

Oh and don't be like Cloud and leave without saying anything, you see where that got him didn't you, so leave a review and tell me what you think. Even if you hate it.

till next time...


	14. Epilogue part2

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 any of it's characters or references.

Yay finally finished this story, that's it no more updates. Enjoy...

Epilogue part 2:

Beyond the Bounds..._ (continued)_

…_Longing…_

One week had passed since the day both Cloud and Tifa had shared their first kiss. At Tifa was surprised, her body kept telling to the push him away and break it but her traitorous broken heart held on to the thread of hope that the emotions she felt for him were about to be returned. The kiss wasn't deep and didn't even last a full minute, his lips were just pressed against hers and ever so lightly and gently brushed over hers. It's wasn't full of hunger and lust, but the gentle kiss held a tiny speck of untapped passion.

That brief kiss they shared was the first time her lips were ever pressed onto another's and she was pretty sure it was also his first time. Sadly however they had never shared another moment like that, but oddly enough there weren't any awkwardness between them. In fact the beautiful ruby-eyed maiden had never felt closer to him than she felt now, strangely enough she began to understand him. Cloud the boy whom she ignored as a child, the man she had grown to love, whose affection she longed for. She understood his pain, she understood his awkwardness, she understood his loneliness, even though he was surrounded by family and friends, by people who loved him and cared for him, she now realized that he was also lonely. And Aerith understood this, she saw through him, she never met the real Cloud but she understood him, that's why Cloud felt closest to her and part of him was still attached to her.

Now Tifa was beginning to understand him, Cloud had been in a chemically induced coma for five years while being experimented on, when he escaped he was still in a vegetative state and when he finally regained consciousness his memories mixed inconsistently with another's involuntarily forcing him to adopt their traits and characteristics. She wouldn't admit it to anyone but she was jealous of Cloud's attraction to Aerith, even if it began because of Zack's personality she somehow felt that the real Cloud was attracted to her also and it seemed that Aerith was the only one who tried to get the real Cloud back, but what pained her the most was that Tifa knew that things were so wrong and instead of telling Cloud the truth she didn't, she kept the truth to herself thinking she was protecting him.

It could be said that Aerith's death was her fault, if she had opened her mouth and said something, things could have ended up so differently and Cloud wouldn't have fell victim to Sephiroth's will. Now that was all in the past, all the mistakes and sorrow, and Tifa was finally learning from them, she wanted Cloud's affection, the same affection he gave to Aerith. But it was wrong of her to force it out of him, after all she could now feel his pain, his longing. She had to patient with him.

Tifa's eyes stared up at the ceiling, she was in her bed trapped underneath the white sheets. Dawn had not yet broken and it was raining heavily. A powerful torrent of showers had conceived itself earlier, it was what had awoken her from her slumber and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't go back to sleep. She didn't know what time it was but it was still dark outside, she didn't even cast a glance at the small clock on her bedside table instead she turned to the opposite side, to her window. It was closed but the curtains were parted allowing her to see to countless tiny raindrops on the glass, they formed streams and collided with one another as they ran down the glass. However for everyone that streamed down three more took it's place. She listened to the rain while lost in her thoughts, her thoughts of a certain blond spiky-haired male that lived with her.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by a soft knock on the door. The knock was so soft she thought it was Marlene.

"Tifa are you up?" A male voice asked.

Instantly she recognized the voice and sat up holding the thick white blanket in front of her.

"Door's open Cloud," She replied.

"Can I enter?" He asked.

That was Cloud, he would have to get a definite answer before he would enter.

"Yes, please," Tifa answered.

The door slowly opened and Cloud stepped in, his hair was as it always was, refusing to he tamed, he was dressed only in his dark long pants that he uses to sleep in leaving his top half exposed.

Tifa instantly smiled upon seeing him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

The azure-eyed warrior walked over to her bed, "I couldn't sleep because of the rain," He confessed, "And I wanted to see if you were up." He said solemnly.

"Well as you can see I'm wide awake," The raven-haired beauty stated. He was lying, she knew it, he was lonely and wanted company.

Tifa shifted around in her bed making place for him to sit, upon seeing her gesture Cloud sat at the edge of her bed. He stared straight into her ruby-like eyes. He found them captivating, they were beautiful and alluring, also filled with compassion, understanding and love. Both didn't speak another word, instead Cloud brought up his right hand to gently touch her cheek, without speaking any words their faces grew closer together, they both leant forward until both their forehead were touching. They were gently resting on each other as if supporting each other. Words were not exchanged, they were not necessary.

Cloud had remembered every second of the nightmare Aerith had second, everything he experienced within it not just his own pain but Tifa's, after all it was his dream but he saw things from her point of view also, he saw everything within the dream even if he wasn't there, her relationship with Vincent, the pain she was trying to overcome, the mixed and confused emotions within her heart. But he realized something about the dream relationship between her and Vincent…it wasn't real…what he saw through her eyes, whenever she kissed him she was picturing Cloud, but not on purpose, she was trying to forget him, trying to get his image out of her mind so she could kiss Vincent but she could only kiss him when she pictured him as Cloud.

Of course it was only a dream and he didn't know if that's who she felt. The dream was concocted by Aerith and only in her mind would she conceive a relationship like Vincent and Tifa. Vincent was not even present when the rest of the crew came, it was only Yuffie and Red, but if it was to awaken his emotions to Tifa it worked. But one thing still bothered him, it was the ending of the dream. Why did he leave? He didn't understand that. All he ever wanted was her happiness.

But he now felt something strange, an emotion he had never experienced before, not even with Aerith.

"Cloud, I'm sorry," Tifa said silently.

Cloud looked up to see Tifa looking at him sadly with tears in her eyes.

"Tifa what are you apologizing for?" Cloud asked.

"I'm sorry, for everything," She said letting her hands drop to her sides and turning her face down towards the sheets.

"Tifa," Cloud said as he raised her chin with one of her fingers so she could look him in the eyes. He was smiling at her, a soft expression on his face, something she had never witnessed before. At that moment nothing else mattered, not the heavy rain pouring outside, not the brief flashes of lightning and not the rolling sounds of thunder.

Without any further warning he lowered his lips onto hers. It was exactly like their first kiss, soft but pleasurable. After a few seconds the couple separated.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked.

"Tifa, you asked me once if I loved you?" He asked her.

Tifa remembered that question, she remembered the time she asked him, he was asleep on his bed or she thought he was asleep, because his eyes flew open the next second and she immediately changed the question, "You knew all along?"

"Yeah I did," He replied turning his gaze to the wooden floor, "I told you before I can't return what you feel for me."

This time those words didn't hurt like they did before, "It's alright Cloud," Tifa replied. After all he didn't exactly say that he didn't love her.

"In truth," He began, "I don't know what I feel but after thinking about it," then Tifa realized why Cloud was still up, he was trying to sort out his emotions.

Tifa felt guilty, she knew he was never good at experiencing and expressing emotions and all this started because of her. She never should have forced him to try to make sense of emotions he had never experienced and was alien to him.

"Tifa," the cerulean-eyed swordsman began again, "All that I know… all I have ever done I have done for you…I just…I just want you to be happy," There he had said it, he was now honest with his feelings.

Tifa cupped his face with both her hands and brought his gaze to hers, she was smiling at him, "Cloud it's alright, you and I…we are eternal."

Cloud smiled back and embraced her, Tifa wrapped her hands around him and rested her chin on his neck, "We'll always be together, Tifa," Cloud said softly, "Forever," He whispered. In truth he still didn't understand his emotions when it came to her but he knew that he needed her in his life, he needed her presence always around, he needed her sight, the sound of her voice, the smell of her fragrance, he needed it all.

The two kept their embrace as the rain stopped falling and the grey skies began to part, and a golden sun starting to cast the first rays of dawn. He hadn's confessed he loved her but she knew he cared for her more than he did anyone, she would have to be patient for him to come to terms with his emotions but she would wait, she loved him dearly and would wait for him.

Meanwhile...

"There good, they're happy together, are we done interfering?" A male black haired individual asked.

His female companion looked at him with a shocked expression, the were both standing in an ocean of endless white, with a large holographic screen in front of them showing the events of what had happened in Tifa's room.

"OF COURSE NOT!" The female exclaimed, "We're not finished until he confesses his undying love for her and impregnates her!"

"Aerith please, can't we leave them alone, I'm sure they'll be fine by themselves," Zack said lazily.

Aerith put one of her fingers under her chin and tilted her head up, she was lost in thought.

"I still wonder why he left in that vision I sent him?" She asked herself.

Zack turned to her, "You said that dream was a vision of an improper future?" He asked.

"Yeah," She replied looking at him questioningly.

"Except for you Vincent and Tifa coupling, everything happens as it should right?" He asked again.

"I fail to see your point," She retorted.

"Well I can only make an estimated guess but if I had to I'd say he was being summoned," The long raven-haired Ex-SOLDIER replied.

"What do you mean summoned by whom?" The emerald-green eyed girl asked.

Zack turned to her, "By G…"

-Fin

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There that's it I'm finally finished! Let's just say I'm not to happy about this last chapter. I don't like the way it ended, but I've been through several re-writes and this is the one that pleases me the most. Oh and about the whole dream thing, I'm suprised many people didn't catch it, it started I think at chapter 4 or 5 and went on to chapter 12, but I left subtle hints along the way, little inconsistancies, like the date scene for example pre-dream, it says Cloud and Tifa went on the date at Gold Saucer but during the date in the dream it says he went with Aerith instead, there are a few others. Well look out for another fic from me in the future, I already have one planned, haven't picked a name yet though. Also the sub-subtitle for this chapter named longing, I thought it was suitable seeing as Cloud longs to understand his emotions, while Tifa longs for Cloud's affection, also if you ever listened to the song Longing by Gackt, I thought it would suit this chapter. Unfortunately it's only in Japanese but if you understand Japanese it's really cool.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys were the best, I read all the reviews, they were motivation to complete this fic. Thanks. Remember to leave a review for this chapter though, as I might decide to do a sequel after I finish Desert Twilight.

Farewell.

Rend

"We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them"- Kahlil Gibran.


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